


25 Days of Ballum One Shots

by Shiftingbetweenfandoms



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Bullying, Christmas, Fireworks, Halloween, Hamilton References, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Julie and The Phantoms Reference, Lion King (1994) References, M/M, Nightmares, Paramedic! Callum, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protectiveness, Weddings, lockdown - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:46:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 31,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27857777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shiftingbetweenfandoms/pseuds/Shiftingbetweenfandoms
Summary: In the run up to Christmas, I will post new one shots each day for our favourite white boys. Each one shot will have tags in the notes if needed.
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Comments: 12
Kudos: 105





	1. Raymond and the BFG

Callum had only met Raymond a few times. He knew the little guy was shy, extremely shy, which was understandable. He had been forcefully ripped away from the only family and life he had ever known, and thrust into one filled with Mitchell’s and drama. He seemed like the cutest kid. Ben had met him a few times, to try and get to know his little step brother. He’d told Callum that Raymond loves to draw, loves superheroes and loves to read. Callum knew that if he ever got the chance, he would get along well with the boy. I mean, liking superheroes already made someone elite in Callum’s book.

So, when Ben burst into the Mitchell house all of a sudden, Callum was notably startled. He entered the kitchen to see Ben pacing back and forth running his hands through his hair as he frantically waited for someone to pick up the phone. He must’ve not realised Callum was home.

“Ben?”

Ben jumps at the sudden sound and spins around before relaxing when he saw who it was.

“Ben? What’s wrong?” Callum’s voice was soothing and the comforting presence that Ben needed n this time of panic.

“It’s Raymond. He’s gone, we can’t find him.”

“What? How? Who was last with him?”

“Jack was looking after him in the Vic, waiting for Denise, and he turned around and he was just gone.”

Callum could easily tell that Ben was worried out of his mind. Despite not knowing Raymond long, he had grown rather attached to him and already saw him as family. As his little brother.

“Right, okay, here’s what’s going to happen. I’m gonna get my coat, and we’re gonna split up and go find him, okay?”

Ben visibly deflates upon hearing this and he couldn’t help but give Callum a quick hug. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Right, hang on.”

Callum quickly strode down the hallway to the coat rack, grabbed his jacket and followed Ben out the door.

“Okay, I’ll check the park by the Arches and round by the tube entrance. You go to the market stalls and the other park.”

Ben nodded frantically and turned to eave but was stopped by Callum grabbing his arm.

“We’ll find him okay, I promise” He gives Ben a reassuring smile, which seems to achieve its purpose, and turns and heads to the tube. He moves at a quick pace, calling out to Raymond and asking anyone whether they had seen him. Callum catches glances of multiple people who also seem to be looking. Phil, Denise, Jack, Lola, Jay and even Kathy.

He finished his search by the tube, bring up nothing. Callum himself begins to worry and feels fear begin to overtake him, coursing through his veins. How the hell could Jack have lost him? _He’s a DI_. Yet, Callum tries to remain calm because if he loses it, he loses the chances of finding Raymond. He could miss important things or misinterpret what people say.

He rounds the corner by the Arches and the park comes into view. He stops dead in his tracks. There’s Raymond. Sat, hidden by the tree, with a spiderman figurine in his hands. Callum whips out his phone and sends a quick text to Ben, telling him he had found him and where they were. He had to decide how best to approach this situation; he didn’t know if Raymond was upset or just got confused. He cautiously approached the little boy, as a way of not startling him and decided to make himself known.

“Hey Raymond.” Callum’s voice was soft and kind but it still caused Raymond’s head to shoot up with wide eyes.

“It’s alright, I’m… I’m a friend of Ben’s.”

Raymond watches him with a hint of fear embedded in his eyes and somehow decides that Callum is friendly.

“Hello.” It is quiet and tentative and makes Callum’s heart swell.

“Is it alright if I sit here?”

Raymond nods and Callum slowly sits down, crossed legged, in front of him. 

“Are you okay?”

Raymond slowly shakes his head, and Callum sees tears begin to form in his eyes.

“I- I got sc-scared of all the people, and it was l-loud, and I didn’t-didn’t know where Denise was, so I r-ran.” His confession causes Callum’s heart to break and he was instantly filled with immense sadness. Its like people forget that Raymond is only 3, and he is experiencing something completely new. It’s one of the main reason why Phil is slowly but surely advancing in Callum’s hate list. Both him and Denise, even Jack, keep fighting over who Raymond should be with, who is best suited to look after him, but no one has even given it a thought as what Raymond wants. He’s experienced more trauma in his life than any child ever should, and now he’s caught between a ridiculous feud.

“Yeah, I don’t really like loud noises either.”

Callum sits there and watches as Raymond begins to break down.

“Is it alright if I give you a hug?”

Raymond nods so frantically as if he had been deprived of physical affection, as if he was touch starved. They boy trusted the friendly giant in front of him. He was kind. Callum shuffled forward so that he was next to Raymond and wrapped his arm over his should, so that the boy was leaning against his side.

They sit there for a while, Callum consoling the crying child next to him. It should feel out of place, Callum has never really had experience with children. Granted, there was Lexi but he has never had to comfort her before. But, for some reason, this just feels right.

Raymond seems to have calmed down now, and Callum takes this as an opportunity to try and distract him from his troubles.

“Is that a Spiderman toy?” Raymond gives a shy nod but perks up a little at the mention of his favourite toy.

“Do you like superheroes?”

An infectious smile appears on Raymond’s face and he begins to dive into a tangent about how much he loves superheroes.

“I’m assuming Spidey is your favourite.”

“Yeah, he’s really cool. Do you have a favourite?”

“Oh Yeah, I really like Spiderman too, but I also like Superman.”

“Yeah, he’s cool and he can fly.”

Callum can’t help but smile. They continue their conversation about superheroes until Callum seems Ben run around the corner.

“Oh Raymond! Are you okay? Where did you go?” Ben kneels down in front of them and uses a soft tone because he knows that Raymond can get scared easily.

“I’m sorry, I got scared of all the people, so I ran. But, Callum found me! Did you know he likes superheroes and his favourite is Spiderman, like me?”

“That’s really cool, buddy.” Ben turns to look at Callum and gives him a smile that is full of thanks.

“Come on, let’s go back home and I’ll make you a warm mug of milk.”

Raymond scurried up and waits for both of them to join him. Ben extends his hand to Callum and helps him up, and when he is up, Ben pulls him into a hug.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” Mirroring is gratitude from before. This appreciation seems to be something that happens a lot lately.

“Don’t worry about it, I get why he was like that, I was the same when I was younger.”

“My hero. What would I do without you?”

“I know, I know, I’m amazing.”

Ben chuckles and the three make their way back home, Raymond now feeling more comforted that he has made a friend with a big friendly giant.


	2. The Infamous Mother of the Highways

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure how I feel about this one, but hey just experimenting

The past few days have been nothing but filled with celebrations. It has been Ben’s birthday, and with Callum’s being only a few days after, they decided to have a romantic getaway to Brighton to celebrate. They promised to come back on Callum’s birthday, so that he could see his brother and Lexi. While they were there, Ben and Callum spent most of their time walking along the beach, going to the pier, going shopping, and just straight up relaxing. They hadn’t really been able to do anything the year before, what with Ben’s hearing and Dennis’ funeral. So, this year, they decided to go all out.

They arrived back in the square in the late afternoon of Callum’s birthday. Ben wasn’t too happy about the fact that they spent his boyfriends birthday travelling, but Callum was more than content with spending it having a road trip with Ben. The trip consisted of a couple McDonald drive thru’s and a combination of their music. Ben’s mostly consisted of Musicals like Hamilton, SIX, and Newsies. Callum’s was very different, he went down the route of Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran and One Direction. Call him basic, but anyone who doesn’t like Harry Styles or One Direction isn’t right in the head, and he just likes Ed Sheeran, okay?

They spent the rest of the evening in the Vic surrounded by their friends and family. A load of people turned up including the Carters, Stuart and Rainie, Jay and Lola and Lexi, and Whitney. It was a culmination of laughs, teasing and very terrible Karaoke by Stuart and Jay. Towards the end of the night, Lola had taken Lexi back home to put her to bed and he last few drinks orders were coming in.

“I’m gonna go get a Coke.”

“Ooo, look at sensible Callum.” Ben teased with a stupid grin on his face.

“You won’t be laughing when I literally have to carry you home.”

“Irrelevant.”

Callum chuckles as he makes his way over to the bar, greeting Sharon and making his order. He makes small talk with Sharon just as a way to pass time, he doesn’t even acknowledge the Vic doors opening with it being close to midnight, its unlikely people would be coming in now, most would be leaving. He turns around to return to his party but stops like a deer in head lights. His glass of coke slips out of his hand and smashes on the ground this causes most of the punters in the pub to turn and look at him, Ben and Stuart both take into account the colour that has now drained from Callum’s face. Stuart looks to see what could have possibly startled his brother so much, and even he stiffens. However, to everyone but the Carters in the pub, the new visitor means nothing.

“Callum…” The woman has a look of guilt on her face, but also a pathetic attempt at happiness.

“Get out. You need to leave now.” By this point, Stuart had got up out of his seat and was moving to stand in front of Callum. This prompted Ben to stand up, something wasn’t right here. He looked to Mick for some sort of explanation but got none, just a small shake of the head.

The woman scowls and turns her chin up at Stuart, “now that’s no way to speak to your mother.”

So, this is the infamous mother of Callum Highway. He hadn’t told much about her to Ben, but from what he did, Ben had already formed a judgement of her. He obviously didn’t like her. She just up and left Callum, left him alone with Jonno. To Ben, she played a key role in Callum’s trauma and nothing she could do would ever make him forgive her for that. Ben noticed that Callum hadn’t moved since she entered the Vic, so he slowly made his way over to him and tugged him by his arm so that he could guide him to sit own. Callum obliged and as they passed his mother, she reached out with her claw like fingers to grasp onto his arm to stop him.

“No, you’re not allowed to walk away from me.” When her monstrous tendrils wrap around his arm, Callum sucks in a sharp breath, which Ben locks onto instantly. He rips her hand off his arm, forcefully while trying to avoid hurting Callum. “Get the hell off of him.” Ben growls in a protective manner.

“Who the hell do you think you are?”

“Mum, stop.” Callum scared voice breaks through all the chaos and it causes all the occupants of the room to turn and look at him.

“What are you doing here?”

“What? A mother can’t come see her child on his birthday?”

“You’re about 20 years too late for that.”

“Don’t you use that tone with me, you have no idea what I went through with your father.”

This statement causes Callum’s face to harden. “What did you just say?”

“I went through hell with that man protecting you from him, you should show me some damn gratitude.”

Everyone in the room is trying to contain their anger, most of them knew the trauma Callum went through as a child. It fuelled his internalized homophobia and caused him years of sadness.

“No, you don’t get to say that.” Callum’s eyes began to fill with tears and Ben wanted nothing more than to just remove him from this situation, but somehow, he knew Callum needed to get something out.

“Excuse me?”

“You let me believe that I was the reason that you left. That it was my fault. I was _nine._ I was nine and you let me believe that I was the reason for Dad hitting me. Every time he did, al you would do is watch and then lecture me after. You shouldn’t have done this. You shouldn’t have said that. You _left_ me you left me alone, you left me to him, How could you do that?!”

“Don’t you dare speak to me-”

Callum couldn’t take it anymore, and while it may seem like an exaggerated reaction, it was something he couldn’t stop himself from doing. While she tried to lecture him again, he had his hands in his hair and was tugging at it, and all of a sudden, he let out an inhumane scream at her. It was so loud and filled with pain, that it caused everyone in the room to flinch.

Ben decide that enough was enough and he moved in front of Callum to hug him. As he was doing this, Stuart shouted at his mother “just go now! Go!”.

She let out and huff, spun around and soon was out of their lives once again.

As Ben wrapped his arms around a crying Callum, said man only lifted his arms up, too broken to wrap them around his boyfriend. “It’s alright, she’s gone.”

“She-She lied to me” It was such a broken statement and Ben tried to rack hi brain to figure out what she lied about.

“About what?”

“Sh-she told m-me she lo-loved me.”

“Oh Callum… she doesn’t deserve you, and she never did. You don’t need her love, you are loved by everyone in this room. And that’s what matters”

Callum buries his face in the crook of Ben’s neck and lets out a series of pained sobs.

“It’s okay, I’m here and I’ll always love you. I’ll never leave you.”


	3. Halfway

Ben had heard of Callum’s notorious ‘halfway’ phase. Most of the square knew him that way, but he himself had the misfortune of missing out. When he returned to the square, he had met Callum during his ‘transformation’ and at a time when Callum was truly unhappy. He had heard many stories about this phase; including one where he apparently tried to get his dad to dance, something he cannot ever imagine.

He knew that pictures of this version of his boyfriend existed, but Callum sure as hell never shared them and he never had a good or any relationship with Callum’s family or friends to ask. That was until this year, specifically lockdown. Weirdly enough, with Callum isolating with Stuart and Rainie, it allowed Ben to actually get to know Stuart and they discovered that they could actually get along. They became friends, and it wasn’t even for Callum’s sake. They spent a large majority of their time teasing Callum together or just exchanging stories.

When lockdown ended, it gave them the opportunity to cement their friendship. They actually had a few pints in the Vic together and while Ben was helping Callum pack, they teased his relentlessly. This is where they found them, while Ben was sifting through a green box, he found a collection of photos. They consisted of childhood memories with the Carters and a few occasional ones of Callum’s mum, but then he finds it. It must’ve been a couple years old but upon glance, Ben is sprinting from Callum’s old bedroom, screaming Stuart’s name.

“STUART! COME HERE!”

Stuart rounded the corner from the bathroom with a panicked face.

“What!? What!?”

“Look what I found!”

Stuart glanced at the photo in Ben’s hands and barked out a laugh.

“Don’t ever let him catch you seeing that, he’ll rip your head off.” Stuart said between laughs.

“Don’t let me see what?”

Both Ben and Stuart whirled around to see Callum standing in the entrance to the flat, holding an empty carboard box.

“Erm-yanno… we didn’t-didn’t want you to see… erm…”

“Guys, what’s wrong?” Callum was growing more and more confused as Ben and Stuarts faces descended into panic.

“Well, we didn’t want you to see… Stuart with hair!” Stuart spun his head around to Ben in anger. _Was that the best he could come up with?!_

“I grew up with him? Right, what is it?” Callum stormed up to Ben to which the man twisted around and started to sprint out the flat, Stuart cackling behind them as Callum chased him. “That’s Karma bitch!”

Callum chased Ben all the way down the stairs and out the funeral parlour. He kept shouting for Ben to stop, but it fell on deaf ears. Residents of the square watched in amusement and confusion as the couple ran down the market.

Eventually, Ben ran out of breath and slowed to a stop, but Callum grabbed him around the waist and hurled him up.

“Get off me, ya big oaf!”

“Not until I see that photo you midget!”

“Fine! Fine!”

Callum plopped Ben down and he got the photo out of his back pocket. Callum looked at the photo and his faced morphed into one of embarrassment.

“Oh God…”

Ben couldn’t hold it in anymore, and laughter fell from his mouth. “I’m sorry, but come on what were you thinking with that trim?”

“Don’t you dare.” Callum pointed a finger at Ben to try and appear threatening, but it was like being threatened by a puppy.

“Oh, come on, it’s cute. Especially the beanie.”

“Shut up.”

If Callum started wearing that beanie when they went out and it was cold, Ben didn’t question it at all.


	4. Lockdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW//  
> Lockdown and covid-19 mentions

They had kept a close eye on the developing virus as it continued to spread through Europe. They watched with worry as the cases in the UK began to climb. Their worries truly spiked when the schools closed, Lexi was obviously over the moon at an extended half term, but Ben and Callum were at the other end of the spectrum. They began to have conversations that they didn’t want to; with Callum being in police training, where did that leave him? What about Ben’s operation?

They kept up to date with the daily briefings and the updates that came with them. They tried to remain positive, well Callum more so than Ben. He kept trying to reassure Ben that it will all be okay, that he would be by his side the entire time and that the operation could still go ahead, they have to be optimistic. Something that Ben had depleting supplies of. But then the announcement came.

Callum had been at the Mitchell’s for dinner, and he had spent the time learning more sign language with Ben. Phil was absentmindedly watching the tv with Lexi colouring at the table. With Ben and Callum in the kitchen, so they wouldn’t distract the patriarch, Phil had to call them through when the Prime Minister came on tv. They all sat in a dreaded silence as the announcement none of them wanted was said; as of the 26th of March, the UK will be in a nationwide lockdown. By the end of the briefing, Phil excused himself saying he had calls to make. Whether that was to do with the Arches or his other business, the couple didn’t know, and they didn’t care, they just sat in silence.

“Ben?” Callum placed his hand on the back of Ben’s head to get his attention. Ben jumped at the sudden touch but quickly relaxed into it.

“What are we going to do?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, where are we going to stay? They said essential workers had to keep working; You’re an essential worker.”

Callum suddenly realised the gravity of this; technically, Phil was in the vulnerable category and Ben also had Lexi. He had to make a decision, one neither of them will like, but it has to be done.

Ben watches Callum expectantly; he can almost see the cogs turning in his boyfriends head as he tried to figure this all out.

“I-I can’t stay with you.”

Ben froze, “What?”

“Think about it; Phil is vulnerable, you’ve got Lexi, I’ll no doubt have to keep doing my police training. We can’t quarantine together.”

The situation dawned on Ben, he knew Callum was right, but he didn’t want to accept it.

“B-but what if… dad stayed with someone else?”

“That still leaves Lexi, she won’t wanna spend this time without you, and I don’t wanna put her at risk.”

“But…but…” Callum watched as Ben started to panic; he saw and heard his breathing start to quicken, and his eyes turned frantic.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. Look at me. “, Callum had his hands on either side of Ben’s head so that he could maintain eye contact but also give reassurance and comfort.

“It’ll be alright; I’ll stay with Stuart and Rainie, they’re no doubt gonna be key workers. We can facetime every night and on the way to and from work, I’ll come up to the window.”

“But I won’t be with you.” Callum knew this, and he couldn’t deny the immense sadness brewing inside him.

“I know.”

“It’s just not fair.” Ben moved forward so that he fell into Callum’s chest and they both embraced each other.

The next few days consisted of packing up Callum’s belongings that were at the Mitchell residence and the exchanging of clothes and other memorabilia to help make this parting slightly easier. Ben got Callum’s grey hoodie, for example, and Callum got Ben’s oversized dressing gown. Callum had also made a little collection of his own recipes, which he promised he would facetime Ben while he learned to cook them. 

The goodbyes hurt the most. Phil shook Callum’s hand and told him to be careful and take care. Lexi hugged Callum so tightly he thought he would pop. Lola gave him a soft hug and said she’d look after Ben, which prompted Callum’s tough exterior to break slightly. Jay gave him another hug and joked that for all they knew, Callum could come out of lockdown, looking like Dwayne Johnson.

Then, it came to saying goodbye to Ben. Everyone else went back inside to give the two some space.

“This just isn’t fair.”

“I know, but we need to do it.”

“Who the hell is going to make me chicken pasta then?” Ben said this in such a pained way which he tried to mask with a laugh, but he failed extraordinarily when he saw the tears forming in Callum’s eyes too.

“You can learn, and when this is all over, you can make it for me for a change.”

Ben huffs out a laugh which quickly turns into a sob. Callum ends up pulling him into a tight embrace. Ben wraps his arms around him and hold on for dear life.

“You better not forget about me.”

Callum pulls away so that Ben can see his mouth, “who could forget about you when we’ll probably still talk every day.”

The next few minutes are spent in a hug. But, to them, it was more than a hug. Eventually, Callum pulled away.

“I should probably go; it’s getting cold.”

“You promise to call every day.”

“As soon as I’m home from work, you’ll be the first face I see.”

They have one more hug before Calum kisses Ben on the forehead, and before he knows it, he’s walking over the square and away from Ben.

They stay true to their word and facetime every day; Callum talks about his training, helps Ben with his cooking, rants about Stuart, and learns more sign language with Ben. Ben talks about Lexi’s homeschooling, rants about Phil and his hearing, and gives Callum a list of musicals to watch. They both get Disney+ and figure out a way to sync up what they’re watching so that they can do it together. They have date night’s every Friday with both of them making the same meal and just sitting there and talking. They both bake for each other, leaving the result on the doorstep of each other’s homes. But most of all, they miss each other extremely.

Especially when it came to days like when Callum has a nightmare or when Ben breaks down because he has never felt so alone, but the day lockdown is lifted, they waste no time in running across the square to each other’s homes, only to collide into each other with Ben falling on top of Callum.

“Hello there.”

“I missed you.”


	5. I Know You Like I Know My Own Mind

The whole Thompson escapade prompted yet another career change for Callum. He realised the only reason he joined the police was because of the idea of helping someone. That’s all he really wanted to do. It made him feel valued and impactful. But all he did when he joined the police was hurt, people. Ben. Phil. Stuart. He hurt those he cared most about, and that crushed him. After confessing to Ben, it took several months to take Thompson down. They had to do it the legal way, much to the dismay of Ben, and this meant for a lot of interviews and a psyche assessment for Callum. The process was long and agonizing, but eventually, Thompson was put behind bars for 10 years on the basis of an abuse of authority and the blackmail of Callum Highway.

The months that followed were full of comfort and reassurance on Ben’s part. The whole experience had broken Callum down and degraded him to a shaken and terrified man. He had spent months living in fear in his own home and of Ben leaving him. Ben has to give him constant reminders that he will never leave and that he’s in it for the long run. Not that he minds doing it, he will do whatever it takes to make Callum feel happy and safe again.

Over time, Callum does start to become himself again. The teasing begins to resume, he’s sleeping better, he wants to go out with friends and family, and he no longer looks petrified in his own home. Granted, Ben can still see the small elements of anxiety appear in his eyes whenever Phil entered a room, and it takes a comforting handhold or rub to reassure him. It is also a way of protecting Callum against his dad.

The topic arises one Saturday night; they had both been avoiding it for months out of fear that it might trigger something in Callum, but in fact, Callum is the one who initiates it. He had been out of a job for about three months, he quit the police soon after the end of Thompson’s trial and had been too scared to go into a new career.

Ben had been at work throughout the day and had left Callum at home once again, a common routine at this point. When he got home, he saw Callum situated at the kitchen table looking at something on the laptop. He greets him by hugging him behind him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders, and he’s about to ask Callum how his day had been when he catches a glance of what is on the screen.

“Paramedic?”

“Erm, yeah. I mean I’m only looking at it but who knows, could turn into something.”

From that moment on, the ambition of becoming a paramedic only blossomed and Ben had never been prouder. He knew that the reason Callum joined the police was to help people, and he couldn’t be happier that his experience in that career has not deterred him from his true goal. Before they knew it, Callum had applied for the course and had begun to study for it. This meant countless hours of revision, practise, and stress. Callum knew that this was the perfect job for him, but that didn’t stop the stress that came with it.

Ben had spent a lot of time sitting down with Callum and going through his notes with him, not that he had any clue what was going on. He was simultaneously impressed at how much Callum had learned and shocked at how much he had to learn. Callum stayed up late almost every night making notes and flashcards; Ben had also helped him by doing anything to relieve the stress. This included cooking, something Ben had no idea how to do initially, but now was pretty good at if he did say so himself. 

One such night of stress occurred on a normal weekday, Ben had gotten home from work and made them both dinner, and now they were both sat in the living room. Ben had headphones on and was listening to music while reading, and Callum was sat at the table, once again revising. The slamming of a book disrupted the subdued atmosphere as Callum crashed his textbook shut and put his head in his hands. This prompted Ben to look up from his book as he saw it out the corner of his eye.

“Callum?”

“I just can’t do it!”

Ben quickly took his headphones off and moved so that he was kneeling beside the chair Callum was sat on.

“Woah, Woah, Woah, where’s all this come from?”

“It’s- it’s just too much. I can’t do it, and I don’t know why I ever thought I could.”

“Right, stop it. That’s my boyfriend you’re insulting there.”

This prompted a small huff from Callum as he took his head out of his hands and turned to look at Ben.

“Now, you listen to me. You are an incredibly smart man who will be an even more incredible paramedic. It’s what you were meant to do. Your drive to help people will make you one of the best ones they’ve got. I know you like I know my own mind. No one will ever find someone as trusting or as kind, and that will be where you stand out. You can do this, right now it may not seem like it because of the workload, but I know you can do it. And you will. I promise.”

Callum looks at Ben with complete adoration. He didn’t deserve him at all.

“Now, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to take a break and not do anymore tonight. Before we go to bed, we can go through your cards again, but that is it. I’ll go put the kettle on and make hot chocolates; you find us a film to watch.”

Callum nodded his head, and before Ben could get up off his aching knees, Callum pulls him into an embrace.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it, okay, you will do amazing. Now move your ass.”

Callum smiles and moves to the sofa to choose a film. Ben goes his sperate way to the kitchen and makes himself and coffee and Callum a hot chocolate. When he returns, he can see that Callum has chosen Knives Out.

“Ah, yes. Chris Evans. The perfect remedy for stress.”

He plops himself down beside Callum and precedes to pull the man into his lap, kissing him on the head when positioned. 

“I love you, Callum.”

“I love you too.”


	6. Dennis

Ian Beale. A snake. A grass. A selfish murderer.

The truth came out on Christmas Eve, most of the square was piled into the Vic for celebratory drinks. At one of the booths sit Ben and Callum with Lexi, Lola, and Jay. The latter had been able to work things out and be civil, while they could never be a couple again, they were both content with just being friends. It would’ve been impossible to avoid each other because of Ben. The group was preparing to head back to the Mitchell residence so that they could put Lexi to bed and have a peaceful night together when all of a sudden Dotty steps up to the microphone.

She starts going on about 2020 and some other crap, her drunken state causing her words to fall into rambles. With no one really listening, she decides to step it up a level and mention Ian. This causes the majority of the pub to listen and give her their full focus.

“Councillor Ian Beale. What a guy, hey! Not only did he steal from Max Branning, but he also grassed up his own family and even framed a teenager!” Her laughter falls on deaf ears as the residents turn to look at Ian with hatred and suspicion. The man in question has frozen on the spot as he tries to think of a way to gain control of the situation. The glances over his pub and catches the eye of several of his enemies; Max, Suki, Peter, Phil, Ben, even bloody Callum. Ben’s boyfriend had taken to a quick dislike of Ian due to him grassing Callum up to ben about Thompson.

“But the worst thing he has ever done is kill a child.” Now, this. This grabs the attention of everyone in the room.

“And let me prove it to you.” Dotty takes out her phone and brings up a recording that seems to be from a voicemail.

“ _Help! Help! Help me! Ian, where are you!? Ian! Come on, okay, I’m sorry, alright? I’m sorry. Open the door, please. Ian! Help me! Let me out! There’s water coming in. Ian, there’s water coming in!”_ Dennis’s last voicemail came to an end, and nobody dared move.

Ian frantically looked around and started to make a break for the door. He went to leave the bar only to come face to face with a fuming Sharon.

Not many people could recount what happened next, especially not Ben. He was blinded with rage and had an overwhelming desire to kill his brother. To kill him slowly and painfully, to fill him for murdering Dennis. For leaving him to die. He goes to leap at his brother but is held back by firm hands. He turns to see whoever the hell is stopping him from his murder quest and sees that it is Callum. His boyfriend, who has a look of fear and sadness mixed into his features, keeps a steel grip on Ben but also rubs his thumbs on Ben’s arms, to try and tame him.

Ben is vaguely aware of Lola leaving with Jay and Lexi, and then of Callum gently pulling him out of the Vic himself. They begin to make their way across the square, Callum’s arm wrapped around Ben’s shoulder as the younger man moves in a daze. He couldn’t believe it. He was feeling an abundance of emotions; anger, sadness, confusion. They were just moving passed the centre of the square where the benches are positioned when he suddenly stops, which causes him to be pulled out of Callum’s hold.

His boyfriend also stops and turns to him.

“Ben? Talk to me.”

“He-he killed him.”

“I know. I’m so so sorry.”

That’s all it took before Ben broke down. He crumbled to the ground as tears streamed down his face. Callum knelt beside him and held him. He wrapped his arms around Ben’s head and leant him against his own chest. He felt Ben’s hands fly up and grip onto his shirt as he cried into it, he could feel the tear patches starting to from with sobs crashing through the silence. Ben began to wail inhumanely, the devastating sadness pulsing through his veins.

And Callum sits there and hold him. He doesn’t care that they are out in the open. He doesn’t care that anyone can see their vulnerability. He doesn’t care because all he does care about, is Ben. The broken man in front of him. And he will do anything to protect him and console him. _I swear, I will help you through this Ben Mitchell._


	7. I Promise, I will help you

This whole police situation was getting out of hand. The biggest understatement of the year. It is nothing like Callum envisioned it would be. He sought out this career because of the aspect of helping those in need, of protecting those who cannot defend themselves. Providing comfort and reassurance to the fearful. That’s what he loved about it, and it’s what he did best. Even at Raymond’s car crash, he was given the task of comforting the poor boy as they set up the ambulance and when he passed out from pain and exhaustion, Callum still stayed with him as that reassuring presence.

After the Shoreditch robbery and Thompson’s threat, Callum caved in. When he got home, he was overwhelmed with the whole situation, and upon seeing Ben safe, he broke down. He told him everything. Ben was furious at first, but the fury was quickly drained out and overtaken by worry and protectiveness as Callum told him of the blackmail and recent threat. He promised his boyfriend that they would figure it out together and he would never leave him.

And that brings them to where they re today, trying to figure out a way to take Thompson down, together.

All Callum was trying to do was meet up with Ben for lunch, can he not do the simplest things now? He was passing under the bridge when he heard a car door slam close. He turned around to see the one thing he desperately didn’t want to, Thompson advancing towards him. Callum tried to put some distance between him and the man, but it was in vain.

“You’ve got no idea what you’ve done, have you?”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“They’ve put me under review.”

Callum froze, “What?”

“Because of that 999 call that came to nothing. The one that you requested using my ID.”

“You said it was alright.” Callum was quickly starting to feel the fear begin to coarse through him.

“No, I said I wouldn’t report you. I think I’m about to change my mind.”

Callum was suddenly filled with a newfound sense of courage. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oh?”

“Cause they’d start asking questions. Questions you can’t answer. So, if they take me down, then you’re coming with me.” Callum huffs out a triumphant laugh as he realises he has finally got the upper hand against Thompson, however long it may last.

Apparently, that isn’t long because of a sudden Thompson is taking a swing and striking him in the stomach. The punch causes him to double over, and he loses all the breath inside him. He was trying to grasp back onto reality when he heard a very familiar and comforting voice.

“Oi! What the hell do you think you’re doing?! Get the fuck away from him!”

Callum looks up to see Ben marching over with a look of sheer murder on his face. He also sees Thompson start to back off as he realises how reckless that was. Ben moves to stand in front of Callum, his protective instincts taking over.

“Callum, control your deaf bodyguard.”

“No, you’re not talking to him. I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you better back off before I put you in a full-body cast.” Ben voice is threateningly low.

“I can do whatever I want. He deserves a lot more than just one punch.”

This causes Ben’s rage to tip off the edge and into murderous intent, and soon enough, he himself is swinging his fist and feeling immense satisfaction as it collides with this Dick’s face. Calum tried to put an end to the altercation, but even he couldn’t deny the punch. He was still bent over in pain, he underestimated how bad the strike was, and he already knew the stomach was currently being painted as a yellow and purple canvas. All he could focus on was the pain until he felt a hand run down his back and provide comfort rubs.

He shoots up at the sudden touch in panic, only to see that it was Ben and that Thompson was gone.

“Hey, hey, it’s only me.”

“I’m sorry.” Callum's voice was breathless and pained, and it only caused Ben to frown more.

“It’s not your fault; he’s the one taking advantage of you and this time he took it too far, I don’t even want to know what would’ve happened if I didn’t turn up.”

“Can we just go home?”

“Yeah, sure, come on.”

Ben helped Callum stand upright and walked beside him slowly as they made their way back. There were moments when Callum had to stop to regain his breath or caress his stomach. Sure, it wasn’t that hard of a punch, or maybe he was just weak. Ben knew that he was having these doubtful and self-deprecating thoughts on the way back, but didn’t say anything, hoping that Callum will come to him.

When they got back to the house, they were both grateful that no one was home. They still hadn’t told Phil and were dreading doing so. Ben helped Callum through to the central room and eased him down to the sofa.

“What do you need?”

“Could- could you get me a cuppa?”

“Anything you need, hold on.”

When Ben was finally alone in the kitchen, he used the time to try and control the unbridled rage that was pulsing through his veins. It was an inextinguishable fire that was spreading and consuming everything in its path. This is exactly what he was terrified of happening. He knew this wouldn’t just say as worded threats; it would’ve gotten violent sooner or later.

He must’ve been in there for a long time, gripping onto the counter to try and balance himself, because Callum slowly shuffled into the kitchen and gave him a back hug.

“Talk to me.”

“I knew this would happen. I knew you’d get hurt.”

“I’m okay, I’m alright, it was just one punch.”

“Yeah, but look at you. You can barely move five metres without doubling over.”

Callum goes silent, unable to think of an answer.

“Can I?” Ben options to Callum’s shirt, obviously wanting to get a look at the injury.

Callum nods and Ben slowly lifts the shirt. Just as he expected, his boyfriend's stomach is a palette of purple and yellow. Ever since Callum joined the police, Ben had appreciated the fact that he was becoming a lot more fit. Although he did miss the soft feeling, he very much liked the physical form he was taking now, muscles and abs starting to form; I mean, what would you expect from joining the police. But now, Ben can hardly look at it. It’s just a constant reminder of his wrongdoings and how Callum is now subjected to the consequences.

“I swear, I will get you out of this mess. I promise.” Callum gives Ben a soft smile.

“I know you’ll try. I love you.”

Ben responds to this by doing the sign that they both learnt first. He brings he finger up so that it is pointing to his own chest, then places both hands over his heart, and proceeds to point at Callum.

_I love you_


	8. Unsteady

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was watching tvd the other day cause I hate myself and I saw the scene where Caroline rushes to hospital to see her mum.  
> I wanted to see what it would be like with Ballum applied to it.  
> It's very much experimental and I'm not sure if I like it, also skip this chapter if you don't like hospitals
> 
> TW//  
> Hospitals, unexpected collapse

No one could’ve ever expected something like this to happen. Stuart was fine the last time Callum saw him; he was completely healthy and upbeat. Callum had gone out for a drink with him the night prior; they had long intense conversations about football and joked around. That’s why no one, not even Callum, saw this coming. Callum had been at the Mitchell’s, celebrating Lexi’s 9th birthday. Everyone had absolutely spoiled her; Ben and Callum, Lola and Jay, Phil, and Billy and Honey. Stuart and Rainie were supposed to drop by to give her a present by they were over an hour late.

“Where are they? It’s been over an hour.”

“I don’t know, lemme give them a call.”

Callum moved to the end of the living room as a way of trying to have some quiet and went to dial Stuart’s number but was stopped by a random one popping up instead.

“Hello?”

“Is this Callum Highway?”

“Yes…” Callum had a strange sense of dread wash over him.

“I’m calling in regards to you being the emergency contact of Stuart Highway. He has been admitted to hospital after collapsing a little over an hour ago. We are unsure of the cause but believe you should get here quic…”

The sound of the voice slowly drained out as Callum eventually began to feel nothing other than the numbness that was taking over his entire body. He didn’t hear Ben calling his name; he didn’t feel his phone slip out of his hand and drop to the fall. He didn’t feel himself drop to his knees and the arms wrap around him.

Ben saw all this, however, when Callum walked away to take the phone call, he was distracted by Lexi and her joking around with Phil. He was laughing and turned to Callum to see if he saw the scene. But what he did see, was his boyfriend frozen on the spot.

“Callum?” All of a sudden, Ben saw Callum’s fall slip out of his hand, and he dropped to his knees. Ben sprinted over and wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

“Callum? Talk to me, what’s happened?”

“Stu… he-he… hospital,” Callum says all this between breaths as he tried to regain some perspective.

“What? Stuart’s in the hospital?”

“H-He… fell”

“What? Right, okay. Okay, right, come on, let’s go.”

He pulled Callum up with his arm and informed everyone of where they were going. The journey to the hospital was a complete blur with Callum in shock for most of it. It was only when the hospital came into view did Callum really start to panic. Just as the car came to a stop, Callum was already jumping out and running to the entrance; Ben chased after him. Callum ran through the reception and to the receptionist like a headless chicken.

“Hi, erm, Callum Highway. I got a call Stuart Highway is here.”

“Oh yes, He’s down that corridor. Room 305.”

Callum quickly thanked the woman and ran down the corridor; he came face to face with Rainie.

“Rainie, what happened!?”

“I-I don’t know! We-We were just in the Vic about to leave, and then he just collapsed!...”

As she was saying this, Callum was moving in a daze past her. Ben still followed him and made sure Rainie was okay before following his boyfriend. Callum came to a hard stop at the window when he saw the state of his brother. Stuart was unconscious with a bandage around his head. Callum moved into the room in a state of shock, sat down and gripped onto his hand.

Ben also moved into the room, put a chair next to Callum and sat in it. He placed his hand on Callum’s knee and tried to comfort him.

“He’s gonna be okay, Cal. He’s too stubborn to go out this way.”

“I-I didn’t get to say goodbye.”

“Hey, hey! You won’t need to because he’s going to be just fine.”

“B-But… but what if- I should’ve noticed.”

“Callum… they said that it was instant and sudden. No one could’ve known it would happen.”

“But-but I should’ve-“

“Callum.” Ben’s voice was firm yet comforting, “There’s no point in dwelling with what-ifs. He’s going to be okay, I promise.”

Callum still didn’t look sure but didn’t progress the conversation further. They were sat there for several hours; countless empty coffee cups were strewn about; Ben could see that Callum was tired. He kept nodding off and then promptly snapping himself awake.

“Look, you get some sleep. I’ll stay awake, and if anything happens, I’ll wake you.”

Callum seems to contemplate it, “You promise?”

“Promise.” Callum finally relents and moves to rest his head on his arms and the bed. Sooner or later, Callum is fast asleep. Ben lets out a long sigh and runs his hand through Callum’s hair. He turns to look at Stuart; the man is still unconscious. He could not possibly begin to fathom what was going through Callum’s mind; Stuart was his only family, the only family that he cared about at least, and even more than that, he was his big brother. Their bond was unbreakable and they cred about each other so much. I mean, Stuart nearly risked it all for Callum when Thompson was threatening him.

It takes a while before Stuart wakes up, by this time, Ben has taken out his phone and is updating everyone on the situation. He looks up to see Stuart’s eyes fluttering open, “Ben?”

“Erm, hi…”

“Wha-“

“Erm, you fell and have been unconscious for several hours, they gotta keep you here overnight.”

“Right…” This could not be a more awkward situation. They both look to anywhere else in the room to avoid eye contact. Stuart’s eyes land on the sleeping Callum next to him.

“Is he alright?”

“Yeah, I told him to get some rest.”

“Thank you.”

This confused Ben, “for what?”

“For looking after my little brother.”


	9. Carter Clan

“Ben, come on we gotta go!”

Ben was frantically searching the bedroom for his phone; he practically tore the place apart. He had it before he got in the shower and then suddenly, poof! Gone. He had ripped everything off the bed, torn apart his wardrobe and huddled under the bed in search for it. Whilst he was under there with his legs sticking out, Callum came strolling into the room.

“Ben! Come o- what the hell are you doing?” Callum looks down at Ben in utter confusion as Ben whacks his head while scurrying out.

“I can’t find my phone, okay!

“Erm. Ben.”

“What!” Ben shouted as he continued his search.

“It’s er, it’s in your back pocket…”

“You what!” Ben patted his back pockets and felt a cuboid shape object. “Are you kidding me!?”

Callum barks out a laugh at Bens hysterics. “Come on; we have to go. We can sort this out when we get back.” As Callum is walking out the room, with Ben sulking after him, he cannot contain his laughter at his boyfriend’s little temper tantrum.

“Shut. Up.”

The couple makes their way across the square to their destination. They had made plans with the Carters, Callum hadn’t spent time with them in the longest time, the last time he did must’ve been his ‘wedding’ with Whitney. He had felt so guilty about it that he didn’t even try to conceal it, it caused Ben to make plans with them to help. The journey to their house was a tranquil one; their hands entwined to maintain some warmth in the winter weather. As they got closer, Callum realised that Ben’s hand slowly tightened in its grip and he turned to look at his boyfriend.

“You okay?”

“Huh? Y-yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“You just seem stressed.”

They come to a stop just outside the Vic, “I dunno, I-I guess I think that they just won’t like me.”

“What? Why wouldn’t they like you?”

“Well, we’ve never really talked properly, and I haven’t made the best impression just in general.”

“Oh, Ben. When will you start to see yourself the way I see you.”

Ben looks at Callum longingly and basically falls in love all over again.

“What would I do without you?”

“You’ll always have me.”

They share a loving kiss before continuing the journey to the Carters. When they get there, Callum can see feel the anxiety radiating through Ben as he knocks on the door. “You’ll do great; they’ll love you,” Callum whispers to Ben before the door swings open to reveal Mick’s happy face.

“Halfway my boy! Good to see you, son.”

“Hey, Mick.” The two exchange a quick hug before Callum pulls away and Mick extends his hand to Ben.

“Ben, it’s good to see you.”

“You too, Mick.”

He invites them upstairs, and they are greeted with Linda and Shirley having a slight screaming match. “You put the mug on the side, is it too much effort to put it in the dishwasher?!”

“I was going to do it, but I was too busy tidying up the rest of your glasses!”

It was such a familiar scene to Callum, and he loves to see it; he missed it. Don’t get him wrong, he loves living with Ben, he was the best thing to ever happen to him, but he does miss the chaotic and spontaneous life with the Carters. He misses the familiarity of Shirley and Linda ripping into each, Mick and Tina mocking said fights, and Ollie living in his own little perfect world. Speaking of Ollie, Callum sees the little boy round the corner with a toy clock in his hand. Upon seeing Callum, his eyes brighten, and his smile is big enough to fill an entire ocean.

“Callum!” Callum kneels and opens up his arms, to which Ollie collides into. He picks him up and spins in a circle. “Hey, Ollie!” He puts the boy down and turns to Ben, who is standing slightly awkwardly behind him. “Ollie, this is my friend, Ben.” Ollie looks up at Ben and gives him a shy smile with a little wave.

“Hello.”

“Hi there”, Ollie has such an infectious smile that Ben can’t help but give him his own. By this point, Shirley and Linda have entered the room with Tina and given Callum hugs and greets, or rather Shirley just insulted him.

“Do you want to see my clocks and trains?” It’s such a tentative question that Ben can see why Callum loves this kid like his own.

“Oh, little man I don’t think-“

“Nah, it’s alright, Mick. I’d love to see them.” Mick looks at Ben in surprise, which swiftly shifts to gratitude. Ben follows Ollie into the living room and Mick turns to Callum.

“Who knew Ben Mitchell had a soft spot for kids?”

“I mean, have you seen him with Lexi and Abi?”

They both go and stand in the doorway and watch the scene unfold before them. Ben is sat crossed legged in front of Ollie as the little boy passes him multiple different toys to look at. Callum moves to sit on the sofa next to them and joins the conversation. He also takes the time to look around the room; Linda was bustling around in the kitchen, Tina was pouring some drinks for the adults to have, and Mick and Shirley were arguing on how to set the table. Callum loved this, and he missed it.

“Yanno, my little girl, Lexi, would probably really get along with you, Ollie.”

“…does she like trains and colouring?”

“I know she loves to draw.”

Ollie turned to his dad, “Daddy, can I play with her sometime?”

Mick looked at Ollie in shock; he had never wanted to meet new people before, let alone be prepared to make new friends. “Er, sure little man, whatever you want.”

He told Ollie to go wash his hands for dinner and then pulled Ben to the side, “How did you do that?”

“What now?”

“He opened up to you. He doesn’t even know you, how did you do that?”

“I dunno, Lexi used to be seriously shy, so maybe it’s that.”

Thank you.” Mick patted Ben on the shoulder and Ben smiled back at him. He had always respected Mick for how he ran the Vic, how he looked after his family, and most important, what he did for Callum. Ben knew that Callum had a rough childhood, which was the understatement of the year, and Mick stepped up and was the father figure that his boyfriend needed at the time. The night descended into one of anarchy and hilarity, and it was so different from the family dinners Ben was used to. Normally, Mitchell dinners consisted of arguments and probably some threats of murder. Here, there are still arguments, but they are petty and lack any seriousness.

By the end of the night, Ben has been practically accepted into the Carter Clan, and both himself and Callum could not be happier. Ollie adored Ben and Mick and Linda spent hours chowing him pictures of ‘Halfway’ and exchanging terrible and embarrassing stories. Callum watched on from the sidelines, simultaneously hating that he was the victim to the stories but also loving that Ben had fallen into the dynamic so perfectly.

The walk back to their flat was tranquil, much like the one on the way there, minus the anxiety inside Ben this was now replaced by unimaginable happiness.

Callum turned to him and saw this glee in his eyes, “you have fun?”

“I actually did, it was so different to anything I’m used to.”

“Yeah, they can be full-on sometimes.”

“Well, there’s Mitchell full-on, and then there’s Carter full-on.”

Ben tips his head back in laughter and gips onto to Callum’s hand, pulling him along back home.


	10. A Typical Lazy Sunday Morning

Ben and Callum were back on track they’d say. When Callum finally broke down and confessed everything to Ben, it only took an hour of arguments for Ben to see the truth behind everything. Callum had done all this for him. No one had ever put him first before, and he was overwhelmed. He had felt immeasurable anger when Callum let slip that Thompson had punched him several times, and started to rage bloody murder. It took Callum’s fearful voice for Ben to regain his rationality and begin to formulate a plan to save his family.

Soon enough, Thompson was behind bars and had acquired several bruises on his face along the way. But this didn’t settle the fear that was still coursing through Callum’s veins, he still had moments of anxiety when left alone in a room with Phil, and it took him numerous months to begin looking into a new job again. After hours of job hunting, Callum came across perfect ambition. Paramedic. This way he could still help people, comfort them and ease their pain, which also seems to be the only thing he can truly be good at; despite all the distress, he caused Ben and his family over the past few months.

He was now settled into his new job, and Ben couldn’t be happier. The experience had opened his eyes to the people who he knew truly cared about him; it caused him even to rip Phil a new one and tell him just how much he has hurt him over the years. He now knew who loved him and cared for him and that’s Callum, Lexi, Lola and Jay. They’re his family, maybe a little dysfunctional and lopsided, but they are all he’s got, and he wouldn’t want anyone else.

Christmas had been and gone with the festivities being spent at the Beale’s, with Stuart and Rainie attending. Ian wasn’t present though; he had fled Walford when the truth about what happened to Dennis came out, not that anyone missed him. New Years, however, was spent with the Carters. That was the deal, Christmas with Ben’s family, and New Years with Callum’s. Mick had taken instant warming to Ben after hearing about what he did for him; Ollie liked Ben because he was nice and listened to him talk about his toys, Linda spent hours sharing stories about Callum as a boy; it was just an overall good night, it ending with Ben and Callum sharing an affectionate kiss as the clocked chimed midnight.

And that’s how they ended up where they are now, having a lazy Sunday morning together with breakfast in bed watching some show about criminal profilers in the FBI. Ben had woken up first and was initially filled with frustration that he lie in was disrupted, but he then turned over and was graced with a sight that he didn’t deserve. Callum, who was fast asleep, had the duvet pulled all the way up with just his tranquil face exposed. Under the duvet, Ben could feel that their hands were still entwined and he was content to lie there and watch Callum. Yes, he is aware that this could be slightly creepy, but he doesn’t care. Nowadays, he doesn’t get to see Callum this relaxed that much without disruption from everyday life, and so he’ll take whatever he can get.

As they sit there in content silence, munching on the slices of toast and sipping cups of tea that Ben made, it seems nothing could pop their little bubble; until something inevitably does. Ben gets a call from his dad, banging on about a customer at the Arches who has made a complaint and he needs him there. Ben tries his best to protest, but Phil doesn’t have it. In the end, Ben is dragging himself up from the bed and changing, both instantly mourning the loss of the extra warmth they gave each other.

“I won’t be long, I promise.”

“Ben, it’s alright, okay. Just go do what you need to.”

Ben smiles down at Callum, “You’re the best.” He gives Callum a soft kiss on the forehead and leaves the room, Callum feeling the same sadness as Ben when he hears the door to the Mitchel house close. He lies there for a few minutes before he decides to get up, there’s no point in having a lie-in without the person that makes it so enticing. He pads down the stairs in his thick socks with just some grey joggers and a black top on. It was his day off so he’d rather die than put anything else other than comfies on.

He’s alone in the house, and so makes the most of the peace; he spends the time lounging across the sofa, catching up on the tv that he missed due to his long shifts. The serenity is disturbed, however, with a knock at the door. The confusion began to settle in him as he knew that if it were Ben or Phil, they would’ve just walked straight in unless he forgot his keys.

“Ben?” He moves to go open the door, but it swings upon before he gets the chance. The speed of it causes him to stumble back, and he finally gets a good look at who has barged in.

“Danny?”

“You should never have crossed me.” Before he can do anything, Danny is swinging a bat at Callum that collides with his head, and everything goes black.

….

Ben is bored out of his mind; this client is unnecessarily pressed about a malfunction in the engine of a car he just purchased from the Arches. Phil has a slight screaming match with him whilst Ben is sat at the desk, massaging his temples. He longs to be back in bed with Callum, watching trash tv with multiple cups of tea being drunk.

The customer has just left, and Phil strolls to the other side of the room, muttering “bloody mug.” Ben would’ve found it amusing, but he was startled by his phone ringing, he pulls it and sees that its Callum. A small ounce of excitement spreads through him; it’s crazy how a simple phone call can do that to him now.

He quickly answers it with anticipation, “missing me already, I see?”

“Ah, hello there, Benjamin.”

The excitement with promptly replaced with dread as his face falls, Phil catching on and moving to listen in.

“Hardcastle.”

“Did you miss me?”

“Where is he?”

“Who? Oh, you’re ‘man’ I’m guessing.”

“Where the hell is he?” Flashes of Keanu’s face pop up in Ben’s mind, and he cannot contain the fear that is flowing through him. He turns to Phil and his dad motions for him to out the call on speaker. As soon as he hears Danny’s voice, Phil himself freezes.

“He’s got a slight headache and has taken a nap.”

“I swear to God if you hurt him-“

“I mean I already have, but if you don’t want anything else to happen, you better come back home.”

Before Ben can even think of a response, the calls end. He looks at his phone in utter fear and is only pulled away from his thoughts by Phil.

“Right, here’s what’s going to happen. He didn’t know that I heard all that, so you’re going to go home through the back door and keep that asshole occupied, after a few minutes I’ll come in through the front door and take him out.” As Phil was explaining his carefully crafted an impromptu plan, Ben was nodding along frantically, listening intently whilst also being worried out of his mind for Callum.

“Ben. Go. Now.” Ben gives another nod before he is sprinting out the Arches and rushing home. He gets to the back door and hesitates, dreading what he will see on the inside. He overcomes this fear and barges through the door.

“Hardcastle!”

“In here, Benny boy!”

Ben follows the voice into the living room and is momentarily stunned by what he sees. Danny is standing behind a chair with a gun to Callum’s head; Callum, who is tied to said chair, lolls unconscious with blood oozing from the side of his head.

“I’m gonna kill you.”

“I wouldn’t be making threats right now if I were you.” He grips onto Callum’s hair and tugs his head up. Ben finally gets a good look at his face and is filled with unimaginable fury. As Danny holds Callum’s head up, he also presses the gun further into Callum’s temple, the unconscious man having no idea what’s going on right now.

“Let him go.”

Danny lets go of Callum’s hair, and his head quickly falls back down to his chest, “Now why would I do that? I’ve got you right where I want you.”

By this point, Phil has come up to the front door and can hear the commotion on the other side. He quietly opens the door and closes it just as quietly; the only reason Danny didn’t hear is that the criminal is too focused on Ben, who is shouting irrational profanities.

“I swear to fucking God, if you don’t let him go right now, I will kick you so far up the ass that you’ll wish your mother had kept her legs closed.”

Danny barks out a laugh at this, and Ben has to restrain himself from giving away Phil, who is sneaking up on the baldy with a bat in his hand, similar to the one Danny is holding that he must’ve struck Callum with. Speaking of Callum, he is still unconscious, and the blood is now oozing at an alarming rate. If Ben doesn’t get him help now, he doesn’t know what will happen.

“Oh, Ben. You really have to learn to keep your love life out of business-“. All of a sudden, Phil is swinging his bat and strikes Danny round the head. The criminal falls to the ground beside the chair, dropping the gun as he does.

As soon as Ben saw Phil swing the bat, he ran towards Callum and took his face in his hands.

“Cal? Callum, come on, wake up.” Callum remains unaware of Ben’s presence, and his boyfriend decides to take a different approach.

“Alright, okay, lemme help you.” He moved behind the chair and started to undo the ties. As they came to lose, he saw the red marks around Callum’s wrists, and the fire burning inside him was only fuelled even more. Without the extra restraints, Callum slumped forward, and before he could hit the ground, Ben caught him.

“Dad, I need something to stop the bleeding, like a tea towel or something.” Phil rushes to the kitchen and returns with multiple. Ben presses them to Callum’s head, and Phil calls an ambulance. This new sensation prompted Callum’s eyes to flutter. Ben head shoots towards him, and he holds Callum’s face once again.

“Callum? Cal, come on, open your eyes. You got this, come on.” Calum’s eyes flutter open, and he looks at Ben, dazed.

“Ben?”

“Hey, okay, you’re alright, you’re gonna be okay.”

Callum looks at Ben, completely out of it. He had a head-splitting pain and could barely focus, an overwhelming sense of nausea was coursing through him. Ben watched as Callum’s face got paler and paler and Ben’s own breathing picked up.

“Dad! Where are they?!”

“5 or 10 minutes at the most.”

“Right, okay, okay.” He continued to try and stop the bleeding and ran his hands through Callum’s hair.

It wasn’t long before paramedics were rushing into the house, Danny had already been disposed of by some of Phil’s associates, and they began to stabilize Callum. Ben stayed at his side the entire time, and when they were loading him into the ambulance, he leapt in with them. He gripped onto his boyfriend's hand and made a silent vow to himself. _I will never let you get hurt again, Callum, I promise._


	11. I Get To Love You

The day was finally here. The day Ben never thought would come. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he’d get married, let alone find someone who would want to marry him. But he was able to find that special someone—his soulmate. Callum was everything he wasn’t; he was gentle, kind, compassionate and understanding. He doesn’t deserve him, and he doesn’t know what Callum sees in him, but he must see something.

The proposal itself was a slight shamble; Ben had been the one to do it, and he had everything planned out meticulously. He had booked them a table at a five-star restaurant; he had planned for them to go for a walk in Hyde Park, and then finally come back home and take his man to bed. But in typical Walford fashion, no one on the damn square can keep a secret. He had tried to tell Lexi, almost ask if she was okay with having a new Dad, she obviously was, but then Lola and Jay had listened in and told Kathy. Kathy spent hours talking to him about it, whether that was in public or not, and then somehow the Carters found out, and that led to Whitney which led to the Slaters and o on. It’s a miracle Callum didn’t find out.

When he popped the question, they had both cried like idiots in front of the entire restaurant. Callum had obviously said yes, and they got a cheer from the other customers as they kissed. They got their meal completely free with an added bottle of champagne for celebration, the walk in the park was tranquil and loving with the majority being spent in content silence, they had spent the rest of the night curled up together.

The next few months went by quickly; it was a blur of wedding planning. They had to find a venue, reception, suits, cake, honeymoon destination, flowers, and so much more. Likely, Kathy had convinced Max to let Walford East cater for them, with no extra cost. After a particular night of stress due to losing another venue, Callum had told Ben that he’d sort it. He managed to convince Sharon to let them have the Vic as a reception, to which she happily obliged; he also managed to book a venue out in the country, while it was a two-hour drive, Ben didn’t care as long as they found one. It was a manor house and hotel located in Kent called Eastwell Manor; it was rather expensive but perfect in every aspect. The suits they had picked out were complimentary of each other; Ben’s was blue with a white shirt and tie; Callum’s was light grey with the same white shirt and tie.

It was the morning of the wedding; Ben had stayed at the Beale’s, and Callum had stayed at the Carters. He would’ve gone to Stuart and Rainie’s, but Mick and Linda wanted to spend the morning with their ‘son’. Callum woke up in the spare bed to a hundred texts from people congratulating him, one from Lee and Nancy said they were on their way, and a few from Ben telling him it’s their wedding day as if he didn’t already know. As he is eyes slowly adjusted to the sudden change of light, Mick burst into his room with a cuppa tea.

“Callum, my boy! Come one; you’re getting married! Now get up!”

“Morning to you too, Mick”, Callum huffs out a laugh as he forces himself to sit up. As he sleepily strolled into the kitchen rubbing his eyes, he was greeted with Linda getting Ollie some breakfast to which she passed Callum a plate of toast.

“Thanks, Mrs C.”

Linda gave him a look and responded, “Oh, come on Callum, you know you don’t need to call me that anymore. It’s Linda.”

“Sorry, force of habit.”

The rest of the morning was spent rushing around and getting ready; Mick was the first ready as he had the help Ollie get into his suit, Callum was the next ready out of anxiety, then Linda. Shirley and Tina were over at the Vic, helping Sharon set up. Linda walked into the kitchen in a beautiful pink dress with her hair down, and she noticed Callum nervously sat on the arm of the sofa.

“Callum? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, just nervous, I guess.”, Linda moved to sit next to him and put her hand on his back.

“Callum, you and Ben love each other so much, I can’t think of a more perfect couple. You’re each other’s soulmates. You were meant to be together; you’ll be absolutely fine. I promise.”

Callum smiled up at Linda, and the moment was disrupted by Mick, presenting a very smart Ollie. The little boy was in a grey suit with a light blue tie, his favourite colour.

“Well, look at you, young man!” Callum moved towards Ollie and picked him up to rest on his hip. As he was scooped up, he let out a gleeful laugh and hugged Callum. Mick and Linda watched on with love.

“Alright, come on, we have to go.” The family leave the house to see their car waiting for them. Callum looks across the square and sees Ben getting into his own and sends him a stupid grin.

Ben’s morning was a lot more chaotic than Callum’s. He woke up to Lexi barging into his room and jumping on the bed in excitement, he tacked her down and proceeded to tickle her. Lola came into view and dragged them both up. Ben went downstairs to see Kathy running around trying to get everyone ready, Jay was sat at the table barely awake and drinking a cup of coffee, Bobby was in the kitchen making everyone morning drinks, and Peter was nowhere to be seen.

“You alright, there, Jay?”

“Coffee first. Then talk.” Jay’s voice was raspy, and his eyes were barely open. Ben tips his head back in laughter and goes into the kitchen, he greets Bobby, taking the coffee he mad and pulled out his phone to text Callum.

_Is something special happening today?_

_Feel like something is happening…_

_My mum keeps crying_

_Oh wait, I think we’re getting MARRIED_

He couldn’t let a day go by without being his mischievous self and left his phone alone, knowing Callum was probably still asleep. When he re-entered the living room, he was presented with a scene of mania. Lola was chasing Lexi around telling her she needed to get ready, Peter had finally emerged but had fallen into a chair and was lying on it, almost falling back asleep; Jay had his head on the table and looked like he was asleep; Kathy was still rushing with some sort of purpose. It was a common sight in the Beale household, but a welcomed one. Life has gotten significantly better since Ian fled Walford, and while Kathy still missed him, she knew it was for the best.

Ben decided it was time for him to get ready and went to his room. He sat on his bed for a while, looking at his suit and got lost in his thoughts. The last tie he wore and suit, and went to a wedding, Callum had been about to marry Whitney, and he also got shot. Life had changed so drastically since then, that it seems impossible for this day to be here. He let the thoughts of doubt and sorrow start to consume him; he doesn’t understand what Callum sees in him. A man as kind as Callum should not be with a monster like him. He deserves so much better; Ben wouldn’t be surprised if Callum bailed at the last minute.

“I know what you’re doing.”

Ben is startled and turns to look at the door, only to see a tired Jay leaning against its frame, “You what?”

“You’re trying to convince yourself you don’t deserve this.”

“I don’t; I don’t deserve him.”

Jay’s tired expression changed to one of sympathy, “Ben, you gotta stop putting yourself down. You do deserve this. You’ve been dealt a lot of hardship in life, and now you think you’re gonna ruin Callum too. He’s been with you long enough to know your world, and he knows it has its dangers, but he still loves you.”

Ben gives Jay a tired smile.

“Now, move your ass, you’re getting married in a few hours.” Ben huffs out a laugh as Jay leaves and starts to get ready.

When he goes back downstairs, ready in his blue suit, he sees that everyone else is ready and waiting. As they leave the house and go to get into the car, Ben looks over at the Carter residence and sees Callum shooting him a big stupid grin. Ben laughs and gets into his car, soon enough they are en route to the venue.

The drive is a long one filled with anticipation in both cars. They are blessed with the avoidance of traffic, and soon enough, the manor house comes into view. Ben is completely starstruck at him, unable to comprehend how Callum was able to find such a place. He can see guests already piling into the building with Stuart waiting outside for Callum. The cars come to a stop, and its occupants all get out and greet each other. However, Linda tells Callum to stay in the car for a second.

“Ben, get inside. We are doing this the traditional way; you’re not seeing him till he is coming down the aisle.”

“But-“

“Come on, Bruv, it won’t be long,” Stuart says as he ushers Ben inside, the groom having an obvious pout on his face. He enters the main lobby to see all the decorations that have been set up for them, and he is once again stunned. The colour scheme was a baby blue with white and small hints of silver, there were flowers with the same complementary colours everywhere, and he looked down to where he will soon stand to greet his man with anticipation. There, he saw Jay already standing there with a look of glee on his face, Stuart moved down ahead of Ben to stand opposite to him, representing Callum’s own best man. Ben soon took his place at the end of the aisle and was filled with euphoria as he saw the doors close, knowing the next time they’ll open, Callum will be there.

It’s a few minutes before all the guests take their seats and Ben prepares himself. He looks across the venue to all the faces staring back at him in happiness. He can see Lola and Lexi, the Carters, the Beales, Rainie, his dad and Louise, Franckie and her boyfriend, and even Whitney with Lee. He tries to collect himself before he breaks down, but he has no time, the music begins to play and the doors open. Behind them, he can see Callum walking down the aisle with Mick by his side. His fiancé has a look of exhilaration on his face, and when he sees Ben, his eyes instantly fills up with tear and the same stupid grin appears on his face. Tears begin to fill Ben’s own eyes, and he doesn’t even try to stop them because right now it’s just himself and his future husband. To him, there is no one else in the room, just his soulmate.

He reaches the end of the aisle, and Mick gives him a tight hug, “I’m so happy for you, my boy.”

Callum smiles into the hug and pulls away, “Thank you.” He turns to Ben, and they both let out a breath of air when their eyes meet.

“Hey.”

“Hey, you.”

They look at each other for a little longer before they turn to the Vicar so they can start. When it comes to exchanging vows, most of the room is in tears or close to.

“I believe you have prepared your own vows, Ben if you would like to go first.”

Ben nods to the Vicar, looks at his man and takes a deep breath. He excepts the pieces of paper that Jay gives him and looks directly at Callum.

“Callum, you are so good. You’re so kind, so loving, so wonderfully compassionate that every day with you is an adventure. I never thought I would get anything like this again; I never thought that I would get a second chance. I was lost for so long, but you made me see the light again. You pulled me up to the surface when I was drowning. But that day I met you in the Vic was when I became alive again. You are everything I want to be; you make me want to be better. I have never known someone so trusting and so kind, and I can’t wait for our adventure to continue.”

By the end, Callum has tears streaming down his face, “bloody hell”, Callum laughs as the wipes the tears away. Ben huffs out his laugh before the Vicar turns to Callum.

“Callum, if you would like to go.” Stuart goes to pass Callum his vows, but Callum stops him.

“It’s alright, Stu.” Ben looks at Callum confused but listens anyway.

“I don’t think there are any words to explain how incredible you are. No words I can write down will ever explain how much I love you. Before I met you, I was so sad and felt I never deserved anything. I also worked to please everyone around me and never myself, but you taught me to be a little selfish sometimes. You have shown me more love and support than anyone has ever done before, and I will spend the rest of my life, making it up to you. You complete me, and you are my soulmate. To me, you are perfect; you are funny, handsome, and incredibly sincere. My life with you is a rollercoaster that just keeps climbing. It’s filled with wonder, elation and thrill and I can’t wait to see what comes next.”

No one is safe from the tears now as the whole room has succumbed to them. Ben himself has never cried with so much ecstasy and passion before and has to stop himself from jumping into his lover’s arms. The Vicar continues the service, and before long, he is uttering the most important questions they will ever hear.

“Ben Mitchell, do you take Callum Highway as your husband?”

“I do.” Callum lets his grin free again.

“Callum Highway, do you take Ben Mitchell as your husband?”

This is it. The moment Ben has been waiting for. The moment that Callum could either back out or spend the rest of his life with him. It causes Ben to hold his breath.

“I do.”

Ben lets out the breath he was holding, and his face hurts from just how much smiling he has been doing.

“I now pronounce you Husbands; you may kiss.”

They can’t contain themselves any longer before they are leaping to each other, and their lips collide in a passionate kiss. The room fills with applause and cheers, but to Ben and Callum, it’s just them. They pull apart and look at each.

“Hello, husband.”

“Hello, Ben Mitchell-Highway.”

They leave the room hands entwined and go to sign the necessary legal papers. Their signatures are written, and more tears are released. When they leave the building, they are greeted with buckets loads of confetti and more cheers. They go round to the gardens for pictures; they have some with the Carters, Lexi, the Beales, and several of just them together. They weren’t even posing for their solo ones, the photographer just told them to be themselves, and naturally, they came out ever so romantic.

The drive back to the square is spent with their hands still linked and quiet conversation, both still trying to comprehend that this has happened. When they arrive back on the square and enter the Vic, they are greeted with even more cheers and congratulations. Callum was given hugs by the Carters, Whitney, Stuart and Rainie and Ben’s family; even Phil gave him a quick hug. Ben was given the same by his family and Callum’s too. He was then pulled aside by Whitney.

“I just want you to know that I’m happy for you. For both of you.”

“Thank you; I know it must’ve been hard to watch him get married, especially to me.”

Whitney shakes her head, “You belong together. Callum is the most genuine and lovely bloke I have ever met, and you deserve that too.”

This causes Ben to smile at her.

“I know we haven’t been that close in the past, but I would love to try and be friends.”

“Whit… I’d love that.” She smiles at the groom and hugs him.

“Take care of him for me.”

“I will. I promise.”

They pull away, and she moves back to join the Slaters. Ben watches her go and is filled with awe. Whitney was so strong for watching the only man she truly loved to get married to someone else, and then to want to have a friendship with said person? She was a truly remarkable woman.

Ben felt a hand on his back and turned to see his husband, _his husband_ , “You okay?”

“I’ve never been better.”

The night continues in a blur of food, drinks and music. Ben and Callum were situated at a table together with Lexi there as well. They were all tucking into their meal when Lexi asked Callum a question.

“Callum? Now that you’re with my Daddy, can I call you Daddy too?”

Callum is stunned by the question and turns to Ben, who gives him a reassuring nod.

“If that’s what you want, Lex.”

“It is! It really is!”

“Well, alright, then.” Lexi leaps off her chair and jumps into Callum’s arms.

“I love you, Daddy Callum.” She whispers into his shoulder, and the tears once again form in Callum’s eyes.

“I love you too, Lexi.”

Soon enough, it was time for the speeches and Stuart went first.

“When my brother first moved here, I have to admit; I wasn’t the best person. Actually, scratch that, I was awful.” This evokes a laugh across the room. “I didn’t get much better when Ben arrived, and when they got together for that matter. But as time went on, my eyes were opened to how much they work. They are perfect for each other, and I could not be happier to welcome Ben to my family.” Both Ben and Callum look at Stuart with eyes full of gratitude as he comes to the end of his speech. They didn’t get much time to recuperate, however, before Phil was standing up, shocking everyone in the room.

“Now, when it comes to Ben, I never knew what to expect, and that’s what amazes me about him. He is so unpredictable that it's funny. But when it comes to Callum, I know he has made the right choice. I haven’t been that supportive of my son throughout the years, but I am forever grateful that Callum has been there to support him now. You’re good for each other, you deserve each other, and I am so happy for my boy.” He looks at Ben, who is sat there with tears in his eyes. “To Ben and Callum,” Phil says, and he raises his glass, the rest of the room following suit.

And finally, it was time for the groom’s speech. They had decided that Ben was going to deliver I, partly because they thought Callum would be drowning in his tears.

“Right then, this has been an interesting day for all of us, I think. When it comes to Callum, I don’t know how to explain how perfect he is, but I know all of you know that by now. He puts everyone before himself without a single thought; he is a shoulder to cry on, a listener, and a ray of sunshine. Call me soppy, but that’s what you are. You light up all the lives you affect and help people to outrun their darkness’s. To be fair, I suppose I should be lucky I didn’t get any Ed Sheeran in the vows. But it's like you said, our life is an adventure, and it’s only going to get better.” Ben picks up his glass and raises it, “To my perfect husband.”

A series of ‘To Callum’s flow through the Vic followed by frantic applause. Ben sits down again and is immediately greeted with Callum kissing him passionately. The night continues, and Ben catches a familiar face. “Pam!”

“Oh, Ben! I am so happy for you, and this must be the lucky man; Callum, it’s so good to see you again.” They all exchange hugs and Pam turns to Ben once again.

“Paul would be so proud of you.” Upon hearing his past lovers name, Ben retreats to his vulnerable self and has to look away to hold back the tears.

“You take care of this one, mister,” Pam says to Callum as she playfully slaps his arm.

“Don’t worry; I’ll keep him out of trouble.” Pam leaves the two alone, and Callum turns to Ben.

“He would be happy for you, ya know.”

“I know, Chris would be for you too.” Callum mirrors Ben’s actions from earlier and Ben takes hold of his chin to turn Callum’s his head towards him.

“I love you so much, Callum Mitchell-Highway” The name unleashes an insane sense of glee within Callum, and before he could respond, Linda’s voice fills the air through the microphone.

“Alright, everyone! I believe it is time for the couple to have their first dance.”

Ben and Callum make their way to the designated area as Ruelle’s ‘I get to love you’ begins to play.

_One look at you, my whole life falls in line._

Ben and Callum begin to sway in the centre of the ‘dance floor’, and they are both overwhelmed by their thoughts.

_I get to love you; it’s the best thing that I’ll ever do._

When Ben had met Callum, he had suffered the worst loss that any person could ever go through. And because of it, he felt he wasn’t worthy of love. That it was his fault that it had happened, his Dad had always had a problem with who he was, so it was the only logical answer. It was his own irrationality that got Paul killed, and he will never forgive himself for that. And then enters Callum, a goofy yet exceedingly handsome man. Ben knew right there and then that he was his whole world. But he knew that his world was hurting and swore that he would stop at nothing until he was relieved of that. And he will keep fulfilling that vow, until the day he dies.

_It’s a promise that I’m making to you._

_Whatever may come, your heart I will choose._

_Forever I’m yours, forever I do._

The residents of the square watched the scene with utter happiness. They had watched the two blossom into a couple, and while they may be mismatched, they are perfect for each other. Anyone can see that.

_The way you love, it changes who I am._

_I get to love you._

_And they say love is a journey; I promise that I’ll never leave._

When Callum had met Ben, he was a broken man who was running from himself. The only true love he had ever known had come from Chris, and even he was taken from him. His Dad had taught him to internalize his sexuality and be homophobic towards it. And then Ben came barging into his life. This man had brought Callum back to life in a way that he could never repay. He introduced him to what family means and how it is meant to look. He made him more confident in himself and taught him how to love himself. Callum swore that he would make Ben feel worthy of his love if it was the last thing he did.

_When it’s too heavy to carry, remember this moment with me._

_I get to love you._

_And they say love is a journey; I promise that I’ll never leave._

When it comes to Ben and Callum, there is nothing that could break them apart. They have an indestructible bond that will last a lifetime. They would risk life and limb for each other; they would risk the world for each other; they would risk themselves for each other. They pull each other up and make each other better. When it comes to Ben and Callum, they are well and truly soulmates.

_I get to love you._


	12. A Broken Nephew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is loosely inspired from the new spoilers about Callum helping Bobby. I always liked their friendship, and I really want to see more of them interacting.

Ben and Callum had explained to Bobby that they couldn’t make it to his ceremony for converting to Islam because they had to look after Lexi, but they promised that they would pop over straight after. Bobby had been absolutely fine with this; Ben and Callum had been pretty much the only people who had supported him unconditionally, Callum even going as far to risk his own life for him. Bobby hadn’t known Callum long, and he never expected him to do something like that, but since the incident, Callum had kept in touch with Bobby as a way of being a shoulder to cry on or someone to listen when he rants. He took Bobby out for lunch, to get a coffee or tea, or even just a walk to clear his mind. Ben provided a necessary distraction in the form of his humour; Bobby always liked that about him because he understood when people didn’t want to talk, they just needed a distraction. He wasn’t at all like his dad, who pressured for an explanation and then made himself the victim.

And naturally, that’s what happened. Ian didn’t even turn up to the ceremony, choosing to stay home with Sharon. Bobby would’ve been fine with this considering her situation, but Ian promised he would be there. It meant so much to him, and all he asked was one simple favour, and his dad couldn’t even do that. At the end of the ceremony, Bobby wasted no time in going back home to rip into his dad. He would’ve kept a cool head if Ian hadn’t been such a self-obsessed snake. He tried to give off a list of excuses, but Bobby was done with his pathetic attempts. He told his dad how it was; that he never cared about him, how he was going to use this for his own gain, but he made the mistake of talking about Lucy. This set Ian off like he had a volcano in the pit of his stomach that was erupting in that moment. He basically disowned Bobby, identified all of his insecurities, and used them against him.

Ian then did the unthinkable; he began to shove Bobby through the house, screaming at him to “Get out!”. He swung the door open and threw his son to the ground. This got the attention of all those who were passing by, the significant ones being Ben and Callum who were on their way to congratulate Bobby, hands entwined and talking in murmurs. They were momentarily stunned by what they saw but soon picked up their pace. Callum joined Max on the ground with Bobby, helping him up to which Bobby hid behind Callum, reverting to a scared child. Ben moved in front of the pair and began to shout profanities at Ian.

“What the hell do you think you are doing?! He’s your son, Ian!”

“He’s not my son; he’s nothing to me.” It is said with such fury and in a threateningly quiet way that it causes Bobby to flinch outwardly. Callum felt this and extended his arm behind him to touch Bobby’s arm as a way of grounding him and offering comfort.

“I don’t know what’s going on in your self-absorbed pathetic brain, but you need to get your head out of your ass and realise what you’re doing.”

“I know what I’m doing. I’m getting rid of Lucy’s killer.”

With that, Ian spun around and went back inside the Beale residence, slamming the door behind him. The sound caused another flinch to erupt from Bobby, but it also made his breathing pick up as he began to stumble backwards. Callum turned around then and started to try and stabilise Bobby.

“Hey, hey, Bobby, it’s alright, breathe with me. Come on.” Callum exaggerated his own breathing to try and prevent the oncoming panic attack. Behind him, he can hear Ben talking to Max, asking what happened. Soon enough, Bobby returns to reality, and his breathing has been steadied. However, he was still crying immensely.

“Why don’t we go back to my flat? Stuart and Rainie are out for the week, so you don’t have to worry about seeing them.” By this time, Ben had moved next to Callum and was looking at Bobby worryingly.

“I-I don’t want to impose.”

“Oh, leave it out, Bob. You know you won’t, now come on, my ears are gonna freeze off at this rate.” Callum went to go and give Ben a look that said ‘now is not the time’, but he stops himself when he sees that it evokes a huff of laughter out of Bobby

“Okay, if-if it’s not too much of a bother.”

“Course not.” Callum smiles at Bobby and waits while he went to say thank you to Max. With his nephew distracted, Ben turns to Callum and explains the situation.

“Ian kicked him out because Bobby stood up to him for not coming to the ceremony, guess he gave Ian some home truths which he didn’t like, and one thing led to another.”

“How could someone do that to their 17-year-old son?” Callum is flabbergasted by the whole situation.

“Yeah, I know. He’ll need a place to stay though.”

“He could stay with me until Rainie and Stu come back, then we gotta think of something else.”

“You sure?”

“Ben, it’s fine, I really don’t mind. Will be nice to not be alone for the week.”

“Hey!” Callum laughs and turns his attention back to Bobby, who seems ready to leave now.

“For now, you can stay with me at my flat.” Bobby’s eyes widen, and he tries to form a response.

“Wh-What? N-No, I couldn’t do that to you. I-I don’t want to be a burden.”

“Bobby, it’s fine. Besides, it’ll be nice to spend time with someone other than Ben.”

“Literally what did I do to deserve this hatred?” Ben pretends to be offended, and Bobby laughs once again, his uncle now satisfied that he’s doing a good job at distracting him.

“But-but what about my clothes?”

“Don’t worry; I’ll get them.” Ben has a shimmer of a dark look in his eyes, and he moves to go back inside the Beale household.

“Come on, let’s go put the kettle on, and you can tell me about your ceremony.” Callum wraps and arm over Bobby’s shoulders and guides him towards his flat, happy that Bobby is already looking better.


	13. Halloween Fright

“Ben, I swear to god I am not carrying you home.”

Callum shoved a glass of water in Ben’s hand as his boyfriend gave him a playful and pitiful pout. They’d spent Halloween at Prince Albert for its annual frightful celebration. With it being an open bar, that was enough of an incentive to go, but it was also a dressing up competition. Never one to turn down from a contest, Ben had insisted they go. They ended up going as a copper and criminal, with the catch being that the roles were now reversed. It had been a laugh, and everyone saw the irony. Naturally, they had won with a prize of £100, to which Callum decided that he’d treat Ben with a meal out with it.

They ended up leaving the bar at just gone midnight, Ben unnaturally giddy and finding everything hilarious. Upon returning home, they had to be quiet because Phil was asleep upstairs and Ben sat on the sofa while Callum got him a hot drink, as a way of sobering him up. They sat in the living from for about an hour, just absent-minded watching tv as they curled into each other. This is one of the things that Ben loved most about being with Callum; they would curl into each other, and they wouldn’t need to talk. This intimacy was something that Ben longed for; he had it with Paul, and then after losing him, he felt he never deserved it in the first place. Someone like him was never going to be worthy of love, let alone intimacy. Callum felt the same way, but he felt that he would never find the intimacy he wanted because he was never truly himself. He and Whitney spent hours curled up together, but that period was the most uncomfortable in Callum’s life. He could never find it in himself to be happy or relax. They both complete each other, and they would do anything for each other.

The journey up to bed was a daze, both equally as tired as each other. As soon as their heads hit the pillows, they resumed their cuddling and promptly fell asleep. The only occupants of the house were Phil and the couple, so when Callum was startled awake by the back door being forced open, his heart rate picked up. He shot up and this, in turn, caused Ben’s eyes to flutter open.

“Cal?” He looked up at his boyfriend, who had sat up and was frozen. He was about to ask if he was okay when he himself heard bustling downstairs.

“There’s someone in the house,” Callum whispered to Ben and saw the fear flash across his eyes. They didn’t know if Phil was woken by the sounds and Ben leaned to the bedside table to grab his phone and see if his dad was alerted, they both flinched at the sounds getting louder and closer. They could his doors opening a closing forcefully with some occasional smashes. Ben had never been more thankful at his past self for saying that Lexi should stay with Kathy tonight as he and his boyfriend arose from the bed and began to move towards the door tentatively. Callum slowly opened the door and peaked out onto the landing to see Phil slowly moving towards the stairs, holding a bat. He motioned for them to stay quiet and crept down the stairs.

Ben and Callum watched as the patriarch moved down the hall to the kitchen and allowed themselves to have a slight moment of relief before it was quickly halted. They quickly closed the door when they saw another invader come into the hall and make his way up the stairs, seemingly oblivious to Phil being awake and downstairs. With the door closed and their presence now known to the intruder, Callum pushed himself against the door to try and keep them out when he heard them come up the stairs quicker.

“Ben, call the police.” He tried to keep his voice calm and steady, but this was disrupted when he felt the door be rammed into. It caused him to be pushed forward, but he quickly resumed his position of leaning against the door, attempting to keep the person from getting to them, from getting to Ben. While Callum prevented the intruder from coming in, Ben was on the phone to the police and frantically telling them of the home invasion. After being told that the police were a few minutes away, he joined Callum at the door to prevent the invader from coming in.

The attacker must’ve been getting frustrated because they started to add more force into their pushes. It causes the lock on the door to break and the couple to push against it even harder, literally for dear life. The assailant realises that they cannot enter the room with two people preventing him and formulates a plan. He sees one of the occupants exposed arm and grabs on it and pulls it through the gap. With the pressure still being applied by Ben, the door slams closed with the opposing force now gone and it causes Callum’s arm to be trapped in the door. He lets out a pained yell as Ben widened his eyes and desperately moved to free his boyfriend’s arm. With nothing stopping the aggressor from entering, he stormed into the room, Ben pushing Callum behind him as they stumbled back. Ben gave the enemy a steely glare, protecting his boyfriend and daring the intruder to try something; Callum cradled his arm to his chest and tried to think of a way out of this mess.

Before he was about to succumb to the fear, he noticed some movement from behind the assailant. Phil had come back upstairs after hearing the pained yell, he dealt with the invader in the kitchen and stormed up the stairs. How the other one didn’t hear him, he will never know, but upon seeing his son defending his boyfriend, who had a large bruise forming on his arm, he was blinded with rage. With immense force, he swung the bat to the attacker’s head, and the sound upon collision was enough to satisfy him. Their eyes rolled to the back of their head, and they collapsed to the floor.

Ben let out a relieved breath, “Dad…”

Phil was about to respond when they all heard the sirens outside, “get him to someone so they can have a look at his arm. I’ll deal with the police.” As the couple went to move to pass him, he stopped Callum.

“Thank you for protecting my boy.”, they didn’t even know how Phil knew this. Perhaps it’s because he knew that Callum would let himself get hurt before Ben even got a hair put out of place. Ben helped Callum down the stairs and through the house to the paramedics, they diagnosed Callum’s arm as a clean break and that it needed to be put in a cast.

Ben rode with Callum in the ambulance and turned to him, “I am so sorry this happened to you. I shouldn’t have put so much pressure on the door; I should’ve protected you better-“

“Ben. It was an impossible situation; you don’t need to apologise.”

“But-“

“Nope, no buts. Besides, at least the injury has a heroic story behind it.”

Ben puffs out a laugh and proceeds to peck a kiss on Callum’s forehead, “I love you, Callum Highway.”

“I love you too.”


	14. Fireworks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't lie, I can't really remember how Callum's story went down, but I do remember the basic, and I hope I've done this justice
> 
> TW// PTSD, War Flashbacks

Callum really didn’t want to go; he knew what was going to happen and he knew how he would react. He’d told Ben little snippets of his time in the army but never huge amounts. He told him about Chris, about his injury and about a few of the things he saw; but he never went into detail about the worst parts. Even though he longed to be able to confide in his boyfriend, he didn’t want to have to live what he saw. He supposes the only person who truly knew the worst was Mick and that was just because he caught Callum trying to flee, flee from this hero persona people were giving him.

But then he saw the look on Lexi’s face as she pleaded for him to come, “Please, Callum! Pretty please! It’ll be really fun!”. Ben saw the hesitation flash across Callum’s face, and he somewhat understood why. He knew Callum had some trauma from the army, and he knew why the fireworks might trigger this.

“Lex, I’m not sure-”

“No, it’s-it’s okay Ben. I’d love to go.” He smiles down at Lexi as she envelopes her arms around him. As she hugged him, Callum looked over to Ben and saw him giving him a concerned glance. He gives his boyfriend a weak smile, almost to say, _I’ll be okay_. Ben didn’t look convinced but dropped the subject for now.

“Right, come on little miss. Time for school, say bye to Callum.” She gave him an enthusiastic wave before he was skipping out the door. Ben stayed back and turned back to Callum; “You sure you’re okay with this?” he asks as he takes Callum’s hand in his own and soothes it for comfort.

“I’ve got to get over it at some point.”

“Cal, there’s nothing to get over. You went through a lot; no one is expecting you to be completely fine with everything.”

“I-I just want to try.”

“Okay… but if you change your mind, please tell me. Lex will understand. I can have Lola take her, and I’ll stay with you.”

Callum gave Ben a small smile before kissing him goodbye. With the house now empty, Callum allowed his strong persona to crumble. His smile faltered, and he stumbled back until he came until contact with the sofa, and he fell into it. He sat there, chewing the skin around his thumb until it was raw and bleeding, he stared off into nothingness and began to panic. His breathing picked up as all he could hear were the shouts of his fellow soldiers and commanders, he didn’t register the back door to the Mitchell residence opening and Lola keeling in front of him.

“Callum? Callum, what’s wrong?”, she didn’t touch him, afraid of what would happen, but she kept talking to him in a calm and steady voice. She didn’t leave his side and didn’t touch him until he came back to reality. She was aware of this happening as she saw his eyes flutter and seem to focus again.

“Callum? You back with me?”

“Lola?” He looked at her with a face of complete confusion until he seemed to distinguish what happened. He eyes begin to fill with tears, and Lola has an instant need to console him.

“Yeah, it’s me. Can-Can I touch you?” Callum gave a tentative nod, and she moved to sit next to him on the sofa. She then wrapped her arm over his shoulder and held onto him. Callum leaned into her and let the tears slip out. They sat there for several minutes, the only sounds being Callum’s sobs and Lola’s words of reassurance. Eventually, Callum was able to calm down, and Lola offered to make him a cup of tea to help calm him some more.

“Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?” Callum still looked unsure, but he also knew he needed to talk to someone about all this.

“Well… Lexi asked if I would go with her and Ben to see the fireworks tonight… and it… I guess it just reminded me of the army. Y-Yanno with all the loud noises and flashes.”

Lola looked at Callum with a look of sadness, “Oh Callum… you don’t have to go with Lexi; I’ll explain to her why.”

“But I don’t want to let her down.”

“You won’t be letting her down; you can’t always say ‘yes’ to her to make her happy.”

“But I-”

“No, Callum. Look, I’ll tell Ben that you don’t want to go and I’ll take Lexi instead.”

Before Callum could protest, Lola was already up, pulling her phone out and calling Ben. After a few minutes, she turned back to Callum, “Ben said he’d be about five minutes.” Callum nodded solemnly and waited with Lola; she seemed like she wanted to ask more, comfort more, but she didn’t know how or if it would be okay. Soon enough, Ben was striding into the room frantically. He spotted the pair sat together on the settee and moved to sit next to Callum, as Lola stood up to give them some space.

“I’ll leave you two alone, and Callum? Don’t worry about Lexi; she won’t be mad.” She gives him a reassuring smile before exiting the house. When he heard the door shut, Ben looked to Callum and took his hands in his own.

“Right, what happened? Are you okay?”

“I-I am so sorry, but I don’t think I can go tonight.”

“What changed your mind?”

“Well… after you left, I guess it just triggered my memories about the army and got me thinking about it. And… I think I should tell you some stuff.”

“You don’t have to; you know that, right?” Ben maintained his grip on Callum’s hands and waited for a response. While Ben desperately wished Callum would confide in him about his experiences, he never wanted to pressurise him into talking. He understood the boundaries and respected them, but sometimes it was painful to watch Callum suffer alone. There were nights where Ben would be startled awake because of Callum’s nightmares; he would sit with him and hold him as his boyfriend broke down. He would try to get him to talk, and sometimes he did, but Callum was stubborn and didn’t want to burden Ben with his problems.

“I think I need to…”, Ben nodded and sat there waiting patiently.

“I’ve told you about how I got my injury, right?” Ben nodded, “Well, there was another… incident that I still dream about a lot. I’ve only ever told one person, Mick. Mind you, he was completely hammered, and Stuart only knows because he was eavesdropping.”

“Eavesdropping?”

“Let’s just say this was when Stu was kinda crazy.” Ben nodded and huffed out a small laugh. He always wondered how Stuart could’ve been crazier than before 2019; he’d obviously heard stories, some he didn’t know if they were true or not.

“Well, we were on a patrol when we were attacked. There were a bunch of civilians in the line of fire, and I was tasked with getting them to safety, alongside my mate Jason. We got most of them away when we noticed a mother and her two kids.” Callum stopped here to try and regain control of his breathing again, Ben retaining his constant presence by soothing his hands and listening intently, keeping his eyes locked onto Callum.

“We had to go in one at a time. I went in first and got the kids out and told Jason to go back for their mother. And-And, t-that’s when it happened.”

“You don’t have to go on, Cal.”

Callum shook his head and bit his lip to try and hold back the sobs, “H-He went in and… I don’t know how we didn’t see it before… b-but there was a land mine, and he-he g-got his legs…” Callum couldn’t finish the sentence, but Ben knew instantly what happened.

“It’s alright; you don’t have to go on. I get it.” Ben wrapped his arms around Callum and pulled him against his chest. Callum immediately gripped onto his shirt, and he felt the tears seep into his shirt. Ben brought his hand up to run it through Callum’s hair and began to rock them back and forth.

“It’s alright; I’m here.”

That night, with the fireworks being set to go off in Walford, Ben took Callum out of town as a distraction. They headed into central London for a meal with a booking at a hotel along the side of the Thames, near the London Eye. And when there was a slight sound reminiscent of fireworks, Callum would flinch, and Ben would curl up beside him to hide him away from all his fears. They received several pictures from Lola with Lexi holding a sparkler and with a hot chocolate moustache. And Callum now knew that e had someone to talk to, and he couldn’t think of a better, more important person.


	15. Boat Party AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW//  
> Drowning, CPR
> 
> I'm not an expert in any of this and if I got anything wrong medically, I do apologise

Neither of them wanted to go. They’d rather spend the night together in each other’s arms, watching trash television and eating bucket loads of Chinese. Callum was still feeling slightly anxious after his police assessment earlier on in the week, and Ben had tasked himself with easing this stress in any way he can; this includes cooking the occasional dinner, having Lexi over a little bit more, and providing many hugs and cuddles. But then Callum went to grab a pint with Mick; it had been more than a while since they had actually hung out and they both missed the familiarity.

For the first time in months, Mick had opened up to someone about his struggles with Linda and his anxiety. Callum had always been an incredible listener, and Mick always knew he could rely on him. It had been nice for him to get this all off his chest and confide in someone, and Callum was a natural at it. They soon got onto the topic of the boat party and Callum had said that he and Ben didn’t plan ongoing. However, after a quick text to Ben, he changed his mind at Mick’s instance. Mick had said that Callum was the only person in his life who hadn’t changed since they met; he was still ‘Halfway’, and he just needed the familiarity of a friend.

They were getting ready at Callum’s flat; they’d been staying there for the past week because the Mitchell residence was occupied and they just wanted some time to themselves. Callum walked out of their bedroom wearing black jeans, a dark green shirt with a black pullover and trench coat and stalked over to Ben, who was tying his laces at the sofa. His boyfriend was dressed in a similar pair of black jeans with a maroon shirt and his checked jacket.

“You struggling there?” Callum chuckles as he playfully ruffles Ben hair, Ben ripping his head away.

“Nope, right come on, let’s get this over with.” Ben leaps up off the sofa, and they made their way over to the Vic, hands entwined and teasing each other. However, their good mood wasn’t reflected when they entered the pub; they saw Linda and Shirley having a slight screaming match. Ben looked ever so slightly amused by the situation, but Callum was just confused. He had seen how Linda was drinking excessively lately, but he hadn’t seen her this bad before, it made him frown as it reminded him of his own dad. Ben looked up to him with a smirk before it faltered as he understood what his boyfriend was thinking straight away, he gripped his hand tighter and pulled him away from the altercation.

They move over to the back of the Vic where Stuart and Rainie are standing just in time before Linda and Shirley start throwing punches. All of a sudden, a full-on catfight breaks out, and everyone is either laughing or in shock. It soon gets broken up, and Ben turns to Callum, “Well, this is going to be interesting.” Callum gives him a chastising look before turning his attention to his dumbass brother in the pirate costume.

Soon enough, they were piling onto the coach and were on their way to the party. They spent the entire journey teasing Stuart, giving Linda concerning glances and have private conversations. The past few weeks with Callum since he decided not to flee were some of the best in Ben’s life. They spent almost every second of it together, the only times they weren’t was when they were at work, but even then, they still had lunch together. There had been many date nights, many movie nights with Lexi and they had gone out for countless drinks with Jay and Lola and even some with Stuart and Rainie.

When they arrive at the party, they are both hits with an instant chill from the wind, making them want to rush back inside the coach and go back home to bed. They make their way onto the boat, still holding hands and promptly make their way to the open bar. For the first hour, they have fun, something they don’t get to do often with the people they’re surrounded by. It is normally thwarted by Mitchell drama or just genuine Walford drama. They’re on the side-lines for the Branning punch out, Linda’s drunken speech and they notice a dazed Whitney going past them occasionally.

Ben was going to get another drink when he caught a glimpse of a familiar bald head through the glass ceiling above him. He turns to Callum, who doesn’t seem to have noticed, with a face of confusion and ounces of concern. Callum quickly clocks on, and before he could ask what was wrong, they all heard a loud crash and the force of it knocked everyone to the ground, Ben falling a little away from him. Everyone was slightly startled from the fall, but almost as soon as he fell to the ground, Callum was already up and moving towards Ben.

“Ben! You alright?” Ben looks up at Callum and grasps his hand.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m alright. What the hell happened?” Callum helps Ben up, and before he could respond, the Captain enters and explain the situation. An altercation on the upper deck has caused the boat to spin out of control and crash. This causes Ben to spin his head to Callum sharply, “I just saw my dad up there.”

Callum’s eyes widen in shock, and he grips on to Ben’s arm for reassurance, “Right, we need to get off this boat.” Ben looks like he wants to protest before he nods and follows Callum and other residents of the square up onto the deck. Elderly and Youth are the priority to get off the boat first, so Ben and Callum help with this process. They help lower people onto the lifeboat until it's just them, Mick, Stuart, Jack and Max left. They’re about to get on themselves before a shout halts them.

“Keanu!”

They spin around to see the Taylor running towards the boast, and when he clocks onto who’s in front of them, Keanu comes to a swift stop. Behind him, Ben can see his Dad advancing towards the young man, “You’re dead, you cheating bastard!”. Ben can’t even begin to comprehend how Keanu is even here, but one thing he does know is that Callum is still on this sinking boat.

“L-Look Phil, y-you need to list-”

“You’re not getting out of this alive!” Phil moves to charge at Keanu and the net few seconds go in slow motion for everyone. For Phil, he was looking at the man who ruined his marriage, his daughter's marriage and abused his trust. Ben is looking at the man who made his life a misery for the longest time, causing him to end the one good thing he had. And Keanu is looking at Ben; the person who had him ‘killed’ and couldn’t even do it for himself. Ben Mitchell ruined his life and still go a happy ending with perfect Callum. He felt an unimaginable rage burning inside him; Louise would never have left him if it wasn’t for Ben getting in her head, he made his mum’s life dismal and made her unbelievably worried, and he took his daughter from him. He looked around and his eyes locked onto Callum; Ben ruined Keanu’s life, so he will have to return the favour.

Before anyone could do anything, Keanu is charging for Callum and tackling him, but he misjudged the power, and they were both sent off the railing and into the dark abyss below. As soon as he came into contact with the water, Callum was overwhelmed with a freezing sensation and momentarily dazed by the sudden change. He dazedly looked around, but all his saw was darkness and couldn’t comprehend what was happening. He made the unfortunate error of trying to breathe in, it caused him to chocked, and he realised what was happening. He began to claw to the surface desperately, and as soon as he broke it, he gasped in a huge breath and began to try and tread water. The col means he can’t think straight, and as soon as his arms begin to ache, he decides that they need a break. It causes him to go under the water again, and he has to shoot back up. This process is repeated a few times, his muddled mind trying to grapple the situation. He treads water for a few more minutes before his arms cannot take it anymore, the combination of the cold and fatigue cause them to go limp and for him to go beneath the surface.

On the deck above, Ben watched as his lover was tackled over the rails. “Callum!” He rushes to the edge of the boat and watches as Callum disappears under the water. He starts to climb over the rails, but arms around his waist drag him back, he struggles in them as he is pulled away.

“Get the fuck off me! I need to help him!” He turns to see it’s Phil holding him back. The man who got them all in this situation in the first place because he couldn’t deal with a cheater like a rational person. With his struggling getting him nowhere, he tries a different approach he elbows his dad in the stomach and races towards the rails again. he just about catches Callum go back under the water before he is throwing himself over the edge, hurtling towards the water. Upon impact, he feels the same sensation as Callum and focuses on keeping his mind clear on his goal, saving Callum. He breaks the surface and proceeds to call out his boyfriend’s name, to see if Callum was submerged or not. Upon hearing nothing, he looks down and catches a glimpse of the familiar green shirt before he is diving below. Despite not being able to see anything, he makes sure his arm is extended so that he can try and grab Callum. After coming up with nothing and desperately needing air, he breaks the surface and gulps in immense amounts of air before going under again. He once again reaches out into nothingness and is about to go up again when he comes into contact with the feeling of skin and clothing, he quickly grabs onto it and begins to shoot for the surface.

Ben emerges from the water and sucks in another breath before making sure that Callum’s head Is above the water. With him treading water for both of them, the task is a lot more difficult, and he begins to call out for help. Callum’s head is resting on his shoulder as he lolls unconscious, and Ben makes it his priority to keep it above water. He looks across the water to see Keanu being lifted out and onto a lifeboat, and the rage fills him again. _How come he survives and is saved first when Callum did nothing to deserve this?!_

After shouting for several minutes, Ben decides that he has to try and save Callum himself and begins to try and swim both of them to land. It proves to be a difficult task on top of calling for help and Ben starts to lose hope. He looks down at Callum to see him still unconscious, head resting on his shoulder and becoming paler and paler. No, it can’t end like this.

“Please! Help! We need help! Please!” By this point, Ben has started to cry because this can’t and this way. Callum has so much to live for; he can’t die because of his own mistakes.

“Ben!” Ben’s head shoots up, and he frantically looks across the water.

“We’re here! Help!” He sees a life raft with Mick and Stuart in just across from them.

“Ben! You have to swim over here!” Ben frantically nods and adjusts his unrelenting grip on Callum.

“Right, come on Cal” he whispers before he begins to swim towards the raft. Ben is exhausted, his arms are burning as if they were on fire and numbness has spread through him, and he can’t feel his legs, but the feel of Callum’s head on him makes him persist. He keeps his eyes locked on the raft, Mick and Stuart leaning over and encouraging him to keep going. Eventually, he reaches the raft.

“Take him first!” he attempts to pass Callum up to them, and soon enough, his boyfriend is being pulled up and out of the water. With Mick looking after Callum, Stuart reaches out to Ben and hoists him out the water as well. He feels a blanket placed over him but shrugs away the help.

“No… help him.” Ben reaches out and grips onto Callum’s hand and zones out. He doesn’t register the coast guard coming out and retrieving their raft; he just kees eyes locked onto Callum, who is still unconscious and not moving at all. Soon, they reach the dock and paramedics rush to examine Callum. They place him on the dock and begin to look over him. Ben is also helped out of the raft, and they place more blankets over him to try and conserve his heat. He only becomes aware again when he hears a dreaded announcement.

“He’s not breathing! Begin CPR!” Ben’s head shoots up to see the paramedics beginning to thump down on Callum’s chest; he watches as they try to resuscitate his boyfriend and he wants to look away, but can’t. He watched as they do mouth to mouth and repeated the thumps. He watches as it makes no difference; Callum is still not waking up. The tears spill out of his eyes as they repeat the process over and over again. He hears sobs to his left and out of the corner of his eye, he sees Rainie leaning into Stuart, both of them crying. He feels a hand be placed on his shoulder and looks to see Mick staring at his Halfway. Ben also notices the rest of the party guests watching from the side; he can see Whitney, Linda, Tina, Kush and Kat, Dotty, and then he sees Keanu. The man has a look of guilt cross over his face before he turns away. Ben doesn’t even dwell on it.

It’s a few more minutes, and the paramedics look like they are giving up, but they can’t. They can’t because Callum can’t die like this. He has his whole life ahead of him; he just applied to the police, and Ben wanted to spend the rest of his life with him. He wanted to ask Cal to move in, to marry him, to have kids, to grow old together. He wants that, and Callum deserves that.

The paramedics then stop, as does Ben’s heart. They announce a time of death, and Ben can’t breathe. He hears a cry next to him before he is moving towards Callum, screaming his name. He is held back by the paramedics and is about to deck all of them before the figure on the ground is shooting up.

Callum is suddenly coughing extensively, getting all the water out of his stomach, and the paramedics move to turn him onto his side. Ben lets out a shout of relief before he is pushing past the man holding him back and dropping beside Callum. He rests his palm on his back and tries to reassure his boyfriend, who is still coughing up excessive amounts of water. He comes to a stop and is left gasping in air and is unable to hold himself up. He turns onto his back, and that’s when his eyes fully open, and he locks onto Ben.

The paramedics place heating blankets over Callum and ready him to go on a gurney. Callum weakly reaches out to Ben, his fingers twitching as he tries to hold his hand. Ben clocks onto this and quickly grips, bringing his other hand up to run through Callum’s hair.

“You’re okay, baby. You’re okay now.” He says in a soft voice and makes room for the paramedics, who place an oxygen mask over Callum’s face and load him up. He is quickly loaded into an ambulance, Stuart letting Ben ride with him. When Stuart does arrive at Callum’s private room in the hospital, he sees his brother sleeping there, oxygen mask still situated; Ben sat beside him and his head resting on the bed, seemingly asleep too. Their hands entwined like a symbol of their unwavering bond and love.

The next time the couple speaks, Callum is sat up in the bed with the mas now gone.

“I am so sorry, Callum.”

“Ben… it’s not your fault.” Callum’s voice is still raspy from the water intake.

“I did this to you.”

“Did you tackle me overboard?”

“That’s not-”

“ _Did you tackle me overboard?_ ”

“Well, no but-”

“Then this isn’t your fault. He may have been back because of what happened at Christmas, but even then, Phil dragged you into that. Hear me when I say this, this isn’t your fault, and I don’t blame you.”

Ben smiled, knowing he won’t win this, “I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you ever again.”

“Funny, I promised the same thing when you got shot in the Vic.”

Ben huffed out a laugh and kissed Callum’s forehead; they both really need to stop ending up in hospitals.


	16. Passions

Since they got together, Ben and Callum had made it their mission to introduce each other to what they loved. While they were alike in most aspects, they also had some huge differences. Whether that was in music, tv, films or books; you name it, and it will be completely contrasting. And so, that’s why when lockdown hit, and they took it as an opportunity to educate each other. They had already exchanged tv shows to watch over the isolating period; Ben forcing Callum to watch Glee and Suits, Callum making his boyfriend watch Avatar: The Last Airbender and the Mandalorian. They introduced each other to their music tastes with Ben suggesting Panic! At the Disco and Callum proposing One Direction, including their solo careers, once Ben had his implant in of course. You can clearly see the differences here, right?

Their first weekend together after the lockdown was spent curled up together in bed, watching the film they suggested. Ben had Saturday and Callum had Sunday. Callum already knew a little bit on what Ben loved, hearing from Jay and Lola that he was obsessed with Musicals. He had the pleasure of occasionally hearing Ben sing along to it when he thought he was home alone, and he could hear the passion in his voice. He also found out that when he was younger, Ben used to love to dance and sing, his grandma Peggy encouraging this and supporting him. Callum would’ve loved to meet her. But naturally, Phil discouraged this, and so his boyfriend stopped.

Ben woke up early on Saturday, excited for the day ahead and turned to his boyfriend. He was immediately filled with love and affection at seeing Callum’s relaxed face, his soft snores which he denied doing made Ben’s heart fly, and he was content to lie there and watch his boyfriend. He missed this so much in lockdown and will take anything he can get now. He lifts his hand up and runs it through his boyfriend’s hair, Callum unconsciously leaning into it. Ben gives a fond smile before deciding to get up and treat Callum to breakfast in bed. With the warmth beside him now gone, Callum began to stir and reaches out to pull Ben back into bed.

Ben huffs out a laugh, “morning to you too, just gonna go make us some breakfast.”

Callum moans and seems to doze back off. Ben smiles and leans down to kiss him on the forehead before padding down the stairs. He soon returned with a tray filled with two cups of tea and two plates of toast. By this point, Callum has woken up and is currently flicking through his socials on his phone.

“Right then, no rest for the wicked. I’m gonna load up Disney+, and we’re starting this now.” Callum chuckled at his boyfriend’s eagerness and proceeded to munch onto the buttered toast. Soon enough, Ben has the first film up and ready, and of course, it’s Hamilton. Callum shouldn’t be surprised, when it came out on the streaming service, Ben raved about it for weeks on end and he already knew that Ben listened to the soundtrack on repeat almost every day.

Callum actually ended up loving it, and at the intermission sequence, Callum was whipping out his phone and downloading the complete album to his Spotify. When it ended, Ben turned to Callum and waited for a response.

“Okay, I admit it, that was really good.” Ben gives him a grin that could brighten up the darkest of days.

“Favourite song from Act 1 and 2: go.”

“Erm, Wait for it and… Room Where it Happens.”

“A fine choice, my good sir.”

The rest of the day continues with a collection of musicals that vary from Disney’s Descendants to Newsies, and Callum loved them all. By the end of the day, Callum had a new playlist set up of a mixture of his favourite songs from the Musicals he watched, his favourite one he watched being Mamma Mia. Ben couldn’t be happier that his boyfriend and they now have this passion to rave about, not that they didn’t have anything in common before, but it’s a welcomed change.

The next day saw Callum’s choice of an MCU Marathon. When Callum got together with Whitney, he felt a weird need to hide away his ‘nerdy’ side, if you will. When he was Halfway, he would go on and on about superheroes and comics, Mick took him to the cinema to see several Marvel films when they were released, but he couldn’t see all of them. When he and Ben got into a relationship, he didn’t stop hiding his passion, but Ben slowly got it out of him. Ben was slowly introduced to his nerd side, and he found it adorable. The way Callum would spend hours talking about theories, his favourite heroes and movies, and the soundtracks in the films.

Throughout the day, Callum watched as Ben got completely engrossed in the MCU and would try and predict the outcomes of the films. He raved about all the fit actors, action scenes and plot twists. Callum was over the moon at his enthusiasm because he always thought he was weird for loving it all so much. He was bullied in school for being a nerd; his dad thought it was weird, and no one wanted to be friends with the ‘nerdy’ kid. To see his boyfriend having the same passion as himself had him feeling immense amounts of affection and fondness. They ended up doing an all-nighter to get through them all, Ben refusing to turn it off after Infinity War; bearing in mind that ending had him in shock.

When the credits for Endgame came to an end, Ben was sat there with tears in his eyes and Callum chuckled at the reaction.

“You enjoyed it, then?”

“No film has the right to make me cry that much.” This causes Callum to bark out a laugh, and Ben turned to him with a glare.

“This is your fault.”

“Okay, same question as yesterday, what’s your favourite film?”

Ben seemed to give it some thought before answering, “Probably Black Panther.”

“Yeah, makes sense.”

They both looked at each other with complete adoration. Before this weekend, they had to keep their passions to themselves because they thought it was wrong to like the things they did. Ben’s dad told him not to, it wasn’t manly, and Callum was bullied for being the ‘nerdy’ kid. Over the next few weeks, Ben caught Callum humming along to Wicked and Six, and Callum found Ben watching the Iron Man trilogy again. It goes to show that, once again, they never judged each other, they encouraged each other and never brought the other down.


	17. Hoodies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW//  
> Mentions of some calls a paramedic would respond to EG. OD and Stabbings

Callum practically fell through the door when he opened it and was immediately overwhelmed by the sudden change in temperature. With the door closed, he leaned against it for a few seconds now that the exhaustion is taking effect. Don’t get him wrong; he loves being a paramedic; it was a thousand times more rewarding than the army and police, and yanno, didn’t involve blackmail or threats. That’s always a good incentive.

The only negative was the ridiculously long shifts; he’d just done three 12 hour long night shifts in a row. While that did now mean he had the next two days off, that didn’t distract from the exhaustion that comes alongside it. The sheer amount of calls he had to respond to in those shifts was astronomical; he had to respond to several stabbings, ODs, a premature birth, car crashes and so on. Luckily, there had been no patient losses in these shifts, but that wasn’t always the case.

He remembered the first time he lost a patient; no one could forget something like that, he responded to a hit and run, the patient was only 19 years old, and despite his best efforts, he couldn’t save him. That day, he was sent home early seeing as it was his first casualty, and he immediately broke down in Ben’s arms. Ben knew what it was like to watch someone die, yet he was at the other end of the spectrum in that area. Callum was trying to save someone, Ben, intentional or not, did the opposite.

The night was filled with Ben comforting Callum, giving him plenty of hugs and taking care of him. He made them both dinners, ran a bath for him, and held him as he cried. Whilst his boyfriend was getting ready for bed, Ben made them both hot chocolates as a way of calming Callum in any way he could. When he returned to their room, he was surprised to see Callum already tucked under the covers in a familiar maroon hoodie.

“Is that my hoodie?”

“Sorry, I just- I just wanted to be close to you.”

“It’s okay, Cal. Surprised it fits you, to be honest.” This evokes a smile out of Callum, prompting Ben to respond with one of his own. _Progress_.

He climbed into the bed and proceeded to start spooning Callum, holding him tight as his boyfriend began to doze off.

So, when Callum was presented with the opportunity of two days off, he jumped at the chance. He pushed himself off from the door and shrugged his heavy jacket off, throwing it over the back of the chair. It was then when he noticed a figure shuffling into the kitchen, and he smiled upon seeing Ben, completely drowning in his grey hoodie.

“What you still doing up? It’s past midnight.”

“Wanted to wait for you, can’t sleep without you.” Callum finds Ben’s clinginess when he’s tired endearing and adorable, and who is he to deprive him of it. It was then he decided to bring up his choice of clothing.

“Stolen my hoodie again, I see.”

“Shut up, I wanted you, and it has your smell.”

“That’s not creepy at all.” Ben playfully smacks his arm before pulling him into a hug. Callum engulfed the small man in his arms and breathed in his scent. This was another downside to the long shifts; he was away from Ben for a long time. They hadn’t been able to wake up together for days, and it was their favourite thing to do.

Callum pulls away and whispers, “Go on up to the bed, I’m just gonna make us some teas and then I need a shower cause I stink.”

“Yeah, you do.” Ben leaned up to Callum and kissed him on the cheek before disappearing upstairs. Callum soon joined him with two mugs in hand, handing Ben’s his and leaving his own near the radiator while he showered. Naturally, he didn’t think when he made his tea and didn’t realise that he still needed to shower, so he had to improvise. He wasted no time in cleaning and was soon joining Ben in bed, his hair still slightly wet and lying on his forehead.

Ben immediately wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and buried his face in Callum’s chest. It prompted a laugh to be released from Callum, and he kisses his boyfriend on the head, before falling asleep himself.


	18. Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um chile anyways so-  
> I've been gone, no excuse really apart from work  
> But I promise that have this fic finished by Christmas Day  
> And you can bully me if I don't get it done

It was just a normal day; Ben and Callum woke up in each other’s arms, had to quickly get ready and rush out the door with half-eaten breakfast’s to get to work on time, blame Ben, he was the one who demanded more cuddles. They gave each other quick goodbyes with promises to meet at the Vic for lunch and a drink with Jay and Lola. Their mornings were filled, head to toe, with boredom; Callum was on desk duty flicking through CCTV over and over again, luckily, he didn’t see Ben in any of them. Ben was stuck in multiple business calls and drowning in paperwork. So naturally, when they met outside the Vic, they promptly fell into each other’s arms, both being deprived of each other for too long.

They were enjoying their burgers and beers, joking around with Jay and Lola when the Vic doors swung open, and an excited Karen entered. Ben outwardly groaned at hearing her squeaking voice and Callum chuckles beside him. She drags Keegan from the table he was staying at with Tiffany and gets him to wait while she ran back outside. By this point, everyone in the pub turned their attention to the door, somewhat curious at what the grand surprise could be. The doors are forced open once again, and the bubbly woman enters with someone that everyone thought would never return to the square.

Ben felt Callum stiffen beside him, and he promptly moved his hand to rest on his boyfriend’s thigh to try and offer comfort, but to also steady himself. There before them, stood Keanu, dressed in his familiar jacket and black cap. All the residents also either froze in shock or confusion, looking to the table where the Mitchell and Highway couple resided. News of Callum’s kidnap spread soon after Shirley told Stuart in the caf and after seeing Ben run around frantically for days looking for him.

“Hello mate.” Keanu’s rough voice broke through the silence and dragged Callum back from the daze that he entered upon seeing the man. He was now reacting more explicitly with his breathing picking up and hands starting to shake. He watched as Keanu began to look around, only for his eyes to fall on the couple. Ben was practically shaking with anger, and the only thing stopping him from knocking the living daylights out of the man was Callum’s terrified form next to him.

Karen saw her son looking at Callum and moved to stand in front of him, “Look, I-I know Keanu made a mistake, but he didn’t mean to hurt ya. Anything he did do to ya, well… he must’ve been provoked. Ya must’ve done something because my boy is a good man, he would never hurt someone.”

That was the tipping point for Ben. How dare this woman blame Callum for his own injuries and justify Keanu’s actions. He was anything but a good man; he cheated on his sister, got his step mum pregnant, basically pushed Ben out of his dad’s will, and fucking kidnapped his boyfriend. And now his damn mum was blaming Callum for the kidnapping? No, he’s had enough.

Ben shot up out of his chair and launched at Keanu. He got one clean punch in before being held back by someone wrapping their arms around his waist. He was dragged back, and Karen started shouting profanities at him. Ben spun around to see who was holding him back, to see Callum’s face. His man had tears in his eyes, and he could tell his breathing was erratic, but even now, he was still trying to help Ben. Still putting others before himself.

Callum looked over his shoulder to see Keanu looking at them once again, rubbing his jaw, “Callum, mate, I’m sorry, alright?” It was the most pathetic apology, and it nearly set Ben off again. Callum looked at the man before giving him a disbelieving shake of the head, and he stumbled backwards, moving his way out of the Vic. Ben gave Keanu one more steely glare before gathering up their belongings and following Callum out the door.

After pushing his way out of the door and entering the market again, he begins to scour it, looking for his boyfriend. He asks residents if they’ve seen him, goes into every shop and heads to both the flat and Mitchell residence; but he can’t find him anywhere. He wasn’t far behind him, so how could he have lost him?

He rounded the corner into the park and saw his boyfriend hunched over at a bench. Ben would do anything to free Callum from this nightmare; the hours he spent comforting Callum after the kidnapping ordeal was immense. He had been so caught up in his own struggles that he completely glossed over the fact that Callum was bound to have some trauma from the event. He already knew that he had some level of PTSD from the army, but he had never seen it himself. Ben only became aware of the first nightmare that his boyfriend was plagued with because Callum accidentally kicked him in effort to rip the suffocating covers off of him. Ben sat there with him and held him, trying to offer any words of solace despite his hearing being a clear hindrance here. It had taken several more night terrors before Callum gave into Ben’s comfort; the one that tipped him over the edge being a terror that caused him to be sick and breakdown in the bathroom alone, Ben being oblivious to it until he felt the warmth next to him gone and went to investigate. Callum ended up speaking with a therapist for several weeks, and his state did improve, but alas, it seems they are back at stage one.

Ben tentatively crept towards a broken Callum and shifted himself onto the bench to sat opposite him. He didn’t say anything, just reached across the table and removed Callum’s hands from where they were tugging at his own hair. He caressed his hands in his own and gave Callum a small smile when he met his eyes.

“You wanna talk about it, Cal?”

“I-I don’t know what happened; I guess just seeing him…” Ben had to suppress his anger towards the cheating bastard once again for making his man feel this vulnerable and insecure.

“I know, I get it. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but you know I’m here if you need to. Right?”

“I know, it’s just… what if Karen was right?”

Ben’s face instantly hardened, “No, Callum. Nothing that happened was ever your fault. He was the bastard that beat you senseless all because his little secret got exposed. It’s his fault because he couldn’t keep it in his pants, he got himself into this mess, and I am so sorry that you got dragged into it. You didn’t deserve it at all, okay?”

Callum still didn’t look convinced, but he relented and gave Ben a timid smile.

“Now, I think we’ve earned the rest of the day off, and you deserve to be pampered tonight, so I’m making dinner.” Ben stood up from the bench and extended his arm out to Callum, helping him up.

“So, I’ll order a takeaway as a backup then.”

Ben placed his hand over his heart in mock offence and gave a shocked expression, “Oh ye of little faith, Callum. But yeah, we probably should have a backup.”

Callum chuckled as he took his boyfriend's hand and they both went home, the tensions of the day already behind them.


	19. Teary eyed

Granted, Callum had seen Ben cry before; all for terrible and heart-wrenching reasons. Telling the truth about Keanu, the kidnapping aftermath, his hearing, the Thompson reveal and so on. So it wasn’t like he was immune to it, but he had never seen it in a scenario like this.

It happened during the lockdown, Callum had returned to the flat after a long day of police training and anticipated his daily facetime with Ben. He slowly toed off his shoes, letting out a relieved sigh as his aching feet were released, and instantly moved towards the kitchen to make a cuppa. While waiting for the kettle to boil, Callum searched for his phone and sent Ben a quick text saying he’ll be five minutes. He’s learned that Ben normally sits by his phone at the end of the day and watches until Callum’s name flashes up. The Arches had to close down upon lockdown, so it’s not like he has much else to do, his hearing contributing to a limited list of activities.

Callum changed into some comfies, being a black t-shirt and some grey joggers with fluffy socks on; blame Rainie, she insisted he needed them, not that he’s complaining, being honest. With the hot drink now made, Callum flopped onto the sofa and face timed Ben. He didn’t know what to expect when the call was answered, Ben was either already in bed scrolling on his phone or having a late dinner. However, neither appeared; instead, Callum was greeted with a teary-eyed Ben who was frantically wiping his eyes.

“Ben? What’s wrong? What’s happened?” Callum’s concerned voice filled the air, and the possibilities to the cause of this were racing through his head; what it his hearing, his dad, the lockdown, Lexi?

Ben took a second, processing Callum’s words before responding with a hiccup filled voice, “No, No, it’s alright. I’m-I’m an idiot.”

“Ben, you’re clearly upset by something, and that’s not stupid, alright? Please tell me what’s up.”

“Callum, seriously, it is stupid.” Ben chucked through his tears, and Callum just became more concerned and confused.

“Erm-?”

“Look, I was watching Hamilton, and Quiet Uptown just came on, alright? Let’s say I had a rather extreme reaction.”

Callum stared at Ben for a second before tipping his head back and letting out a burst of roaring laughter. _Of course, he was crying at a Musical song._

“Okay, shut up! I’ll remind you that you sobbed for about an hour at the Lion King!” Ben could recall the day vividly; Callum had told him that he had never seen the iconic film and Ben insisted that they watched it. Callum bobbed his head to the first few songs, and his boyfriend watched as he became the embodiment of anxiety and stress at the Stampede scene. Its climax had Callum crying his eyes out, cursing Scar and proceeding to go on a tangent about how it was the saddest death scene he had ever scene in anything, that being movie screen, tv screen, computer screen. It even topped his emotional reaction to the Last of Us.

“Yeah, but that film is notoriously sad! Everyone who is sane cries at it!”

“The same can be said for this song! Right, you know what? Go on Disney+ right now and watch Hamilton, then get back to me.”

“But what about our daily call?” Callum didn’t try to hide the disappointment that came through his voice.

“That’s what you get for insulting me, now go watch it.” Callum wasn’t able to get a word of protest in before Ben hung up. Callum shook his head in amusement and got settled in preparation to watch the Musical and prove Ben wrong.

Two and a half hours later, Ben got a facetime call from Callum. Already prepared with his victorious speech, Ben accepted the call and a grin took over his face as he was presented with a red-eyed Callum.

“So… erm, you were right.”

The only other time Callum saw Ben cry over a fictional feature was, regrettably, when he was crying with him. Lockdown was soon over, and Ben had gotten his implant, something he wanted to do when it was over was watching a new Netflix series with Callum called Julie and the Phantoms. He had heard that it had Musical elements and fit guys, so naturally, he was immediately dragged in. They were both thoroughly enjoying the show and had both downloaded the soundtrack already. They weren’t prepared for episode 8 as it found them in complete messes over the traumatic song, Unsaid Emily. 

If Jay and Lola walked in on them sobbing at that particular song, no they didn’t, and they saw nothing. Besides, Ben had a reputation to uphold. Callum… didn’t really have an excuse.


	20. Rumours

_Pre-warning, we have a very unhappy little madam coming home._

Lola’s text instantly intrigued Ben and filled him with worry. Endless possibilities raced through his mind at what could be the cause of his daughter’s unhappy mood.

_Any idea on the diagnosis?_

_She won’t say anything and is being very snappy._

Ben sighed and ran a hand over his face; he was hoping for just a peaceful evening with his daughter and boyfriend, but it seems the universe has other plans.

Ben walked into the kitchen to Callum stirring a sauce in a pan, his boyfriend looked up and smiled at him before it faltered upon seeing Ben’s stressed face, “I’d watch out, Lexi is on a rampage right now.”

“What’s happened?”

Ben shrugged his shoulders, “Dunno, she won’t say anything.”

Callum went to respond before the back door opened and in stomped a very grump Lei, Lola trudging in behind her.

“Er, excuse me, young lady, get back here!” Lola called down the hall to which Lexi ignored her and proceeded to go into the living room. She turned to look at Ben and Callum with an exasperated look.

“She may have had a bad day, but I am not having this attitude.”

Ben nodded and tried to defuse the situation, “Lexi! Come here, princess!”

A disgruntled Lexi stormed back into the kitchen with a face of thunder, “What?”

Ben’s eyebrows shot up in shock at her snappy attitude and Callum went back to stirring, not wanting to get involved.

“Hey, enough of that. Now, what’s wrong?”

“None of your business.”

He three adults of the room were stunned by her manner, and the parents were forced to assert themselves.

“Do not speak to me like that; I am only trying to help!”

“Yeah, well, you never do!”

Ben was taken back and slightly hurt by her comment and Callum could clearly see this in the small flinch that went through his boyfriend’s body, and went to try and help.

“Lex, we only want to help-”

“Shut up! You’re not even apart of this family!”

“Lexi!” Callum’s hurt was evident on his face as he quickly looked to the ground to try and stop the oncoming tears. It was one of his biggest insecurities right now; he always felt out of place in Ben’s little family with everyone else having some sort of connection with each other. Ben and Lola were Lexi’s parents, and Jay was Ben’s brother/ best friend and Lola’s boyfriend. Callum was the new boyfriend who just appeared suddenly. He’d told Ben about this anxiety before, to which his boyfriend tried to abolish the idea, but it still lingered. So, for the little girl that he had grown to love so much to call out his insecurity and use it against him, it really struck a nerve, regardless of her unnatural mood.

“That’s it! Go to your room!” She lingered for a little bit, looking like she wanted to protest, “Now!” Ben’s voice is filled the immense anger, he had to push down the spike of guilt that appeared when his daughter's eyes filled with tears, and she ran upstairs. Ben then turned to look at Callum and took his teary face in his hands so that he would look at him.

“S-She didn’t mean it, she’s just had a bad day, you know that, right?”

Callum frantically nodded and wiped his eyes, “Yeah, of course, but… doesn’t make it hurt any less.”

Ben sighed and closed his eyes, hating that his own blood made his soulmate feel this way, “I know, and I am so sorry.”

“I think we should just leave her for a bit, let her cool down.” Lola’s voice broke their little bubble that they created, and they turned to look at her, her own eyes filled with sympathy for the man.

“I’m sorry Callum, I’ll talk to her later about it.”

“Look, it’s no one’s fault, not even Lexi’s. we all have our days.”

Lola nodded before looking at the clock, “Right, well, I best be off. I promised Jay I’d help him with an errand, I’ll be back later.” She gave Callum a quick smile before she was out the door.

Ben turned back to Callum and saw the pain still floating around in his eyes, “Lexi will be fine, she just needs to calm down, don’t worry about it.” He gave Callum a quick peck on the cheek before he began speaking about anything and everything as a way of distracting him.

Soon enough, dinner was ready, and Ben wasn’t that cruel of a father to make Lexi go to bed without dinner. He went to go and fetch her when Callum stopped him.

“Do-do you think maybe I could get her?” Ben looked uncertain but saw the determination in Callum and reluctantly nodded. He watched his boyfriend go up the stairs before going back to set the table for dinner.

Callum reached Lexi’s door and lifted his fist to knock, only hesitating a little before pushing through his insecurities and knocking.

“Lexi? Can I come in, sweetheart?”

Callum waited for a bit before the door was tentatively open and on the other side was an upset Lexi.

“Hey, do you wanna talk about it maybe?” Lexi looked uncertain but soon nodded, and they found themselves sat on her bed, Callum waiting for her to speak.

“I-I didn’t mean what I said, I-I love you, Daddy Callum and you are part of our family…” Callum smiled at her before responding, “It’s okay Lex, I get it, we all have our days, but it did hurt to hear you say that.”

“I know, it’s just… something happened at school today.” At this, Callum straightened but still waited for Lexi to get it out in her own time, “What’s that?”

“A-A girl in my class was spr-spreading rumours about me online and-and everyone was l-laughing at me today.” The little girl explained in sobs and soon broke down in a fit of tears, Callum wasted no time enveloping her in his arms.

“Oh, sweetheart. I’m so sorry, did you tell a teacher?”

“I did, but they just told me to ignore her.” Callum’s face contorted in a fury and he tightened his grip.

“Right, well tomorrow, I can get Ben to go in and talk to someone about it if you want.”

“But-But Daddy’s angry at me.”

“He was a little annoyed at your mood, but once he knows why you were like that, I’m sure he’ll be fine, and he’d want to help.” Lexi gave it some thought before she nodded, “Thank you, Daddy Callum, I love you.” She wrapped her little arms around his large frame and Callum smiled into the hug.

“Right come on, I made your favourite, spag bol, and it’s probably all being eaten by your Dad right now, we should hurry.” Lexi giggled before she was scrambling out of his lap and rushing downstairs. Callum chuckled and followed her down the stairs, to which he was greeted with Lexi and Ben hugging.

“I’m sorry, Daddy.”

“It’s alright, Lex. Just don’t be like that again okay, promise?” He held out his pinky, and she quickly linked her own with his “Promise.”

She soon disappeared into the living room, ready for dinner, and Callum wrapped his arms around Ben’s waist.

“So…”

“Apparently some rumours have been spread about her at school, and the teachers have been no bloody help.” Callum could see the exact moment that the protective instincts overtook Ben’s rationality and quickly put a stop to it.

“I told her that you’d go into school to sort it out, but that’s it, she doesn’t want to make a fuss.”

“Fine, but I’m going to rip them a new one.” Callum sniggered before following Ben into the living room, ready to have dinner with his little family unit.


	21. They'll Run Into The Smoke When The Fire Is Fierce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW//  
> Car Crashes

Technically Callum wasn’t even meant to be on call today; it was the first day off for him in months, and he intended to spend it just relaxing with Ben, maybe go for a few beers, nothing too extravagant. But naturally, the square had other plans. This place is basically a magnet for incidents, and it repels anything good. It wasn’t that he wasn’t trained for anything like this, but normally he had back up, and he never had to try and save the life of someone he knew so well. He also had the added pressure of the residents watching on, some filming the event and some doing fuck all to help at all.

To backtrack a little, the day started with excitement and euphoria for Ben and Callum at the prospect of quality time together. They had been deprived of it for so long and savoured every minute together. They were walking down the market to the Vic when they heard sudden crashes behind them. They both turned to see an out of control car careening down the street, crashing into stalls and causing people to be knocked over when getting out of the way.

Callum quickly grabbed Ben’s arm and pulled him out the way, pushing him against the wall and throwing his own body over him as protection. The crash's impact caused a stall to fall against Callum’s back, and he was instantly filled with pain. He tied to push the stall off with his back, but it was too heavy; however, Ben saw a gap between the stall and wall where he could move out and get the blasted thing off his boyfriend.

“Babe? Just hold on, I think I can get out.” Ben quickly scurried through the gap and was soon presented with a scene of anarchy in the market. He didn’t let it distract him any longer before calling Kush over, who was helping other people up, and together they pulled the stall off of Callum. Ben rushed over to his boyfriend, checking him over for any injuries before deducing he was okay.

“Why would you do that, Cal!?”

“You would’ve died if I hadn’t have moved you, Ben! I couldn’t let that happen…”

“Right okay, I’m sorry, are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, just aching, I guess. Come on; we gotta help people.”

The couple moved around the market, helping anyone they could see was in distress. This was the first time Ben had seen Callum in action and was simultaneously mesmerised and also stressed for what this could mean for him in the future; he’d be surprised if Callum didn’t get any nightmares from this. While he was helping people into the Vic, Ben caught sight of a frantic Linda running around calling out for her husband.

“Linda! Linda! What’s wrong?!” Ben grabbed hold of her shoulders to try and stabilize her and provide some comfort.

“I-It’s Mick! We were together before the car came and then all of a sudden he’s gone!”

“It’s alright, erm…” Ben frantically looked around and caught sight of Callum easing someone onto a bench, “Callum!” His boyfriend was soon at his side, his face contorted in concern with clear layers of exhaustion settling in.

“What’s wrong? Linda, are you okay?”

“I-I don’t know where Mick is; I lost him when the car crashed.”

“Right, erm… we’ll get looking for him. Do you want to sit in the Vic or are you okay to look?” Linda confirmed that she wanted to help and soon the trio split up and began their search. It takes a while, and Callum is about to lose hope when he spots a figure wearing the familiar waste coat under a stall. He quickly rips it off the man and finds Mick lying there, applying pressure to a bleeding leg.

“Mick! Mick, it’s alright, I’m here. I’ll help.”

Callum pulled his jacket off and wrapped it around the wound, apologising profusely when Mick grunts in pain. Lost to his thoughts on how to help, Callum jumps when Ben suddenly appears at his side.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Call 999, tell them we need several ambulance’s and tell them Paramedic Callum Highway from Walford General is already on scene.” He returns his attention to Mick and tries to get him to talk, seeing as he seemed to e on the verge of passing out.

“Hey, Mick! Come on, talk to me!”

“Mmpf… not too loud Halfway…”

“Right, okay good, keep talking to me. You and Linda went to visit Lee earlier this month, right? Tell me about that.” Callum listened and waited for the ambulance to turn up, and when they did, he let them handle it.

The situation soon became under control, Mick was stabilized and carted off to the hospital, and Callum was left leaning against the Vic wall, eyes closed and taking slow deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He suddenly felt a hand on his arm, and his eyes flew open only to relax upon seeing Ben next to him, granted covered in dust with several cuts on his face, presumable from being trapped under a stall and slammed against the wall, not that he cared.

“Hey, it’s just me.” Ben moved his hand so that it rested on the side of Callum’s face, and it prompted him to turn to look at him, Ben taking his face in both hands now.

“You did amazing, babe.”

“Doesn’t feel like it…”

“Well, you did, alright? I am so proud of you.” Callum gave Ben a weak smile before collapsing into his arms. Ben enveloped Callum in his arms and rubbed his back as he felt Callum start and shake and heard some sobs erupt from him.

“I heard from Linda; Mick is okay.” Callum closed his eyes in relief and let out a reassured breath.

“Come on, let’s get you home.”


	22. Best Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW//   
> Domestic Abuse and Death  
> This chapter is going to explore Chantelle's death and how Callum would react to it if they were friends, please read at your own discretion

Callum and Chantelle had a special friendship; they bonded after the young woman had found Callum sat in the park, crying alone. He ended up confusing in her about his struggles with memories of his dad and the army, confessing that he didn’t want to lay this all on Ben or his brother because he didn’t want to be a burden. She had actually ended up providing a lot of solace and wisdom on the situation, and from that moment on, Callum always went to her for help, and vice versa.

They ended up hanging out a lot together, going out for drinks and grabbing a bite at the caf together. Ben had also taken a liking to Chantelle and liked that his boyfriend had found someone outside of his family to talk to. While he wanted Callum to have the confidence to talk to him about his problems, he understood that maybe it’s better to confide in someone who is not within your family, so that they can provide honesty without sugar-coating the situation.

When it came to Chantelle, Callum knew she wasn’t happy in her marriage. He saw how she became instantly uncomfortable when Gray got close to her; he saw her unhappiness when she had to leave; he saw her fear when Gray got angry. He never pushed her to tell him what was wrong; he kept reminding her that he was here for her. If she were ever upset and needed to get away, he would try to provide a distraction.

So, when she went away on holiday with Karen and Mitch, he was happy she could get away. Lockdown must’ve been hard for her, being away from her family and stuck with Gray, so he was happy she could get a break. He wanted to try and catch her before she left, to wish her a good time, but when he rounded the corner, he instantly clocked onto the dread in her face. He watched as she caught sight of him and jogged over, Callum picking up his own pace.

“Hey! I wanted to catch you before you left, you okay?”

“Y-Yeah, erm, look I… I just wanted to tell you… thank you.”

“What for?”

“For being the best friend I have ever had. I would never have gotten through lockdown or even the last year without you.”

“That’s-That’s alright… is everything okay? I’m worried about you.”

Chantelle looked at her friend and could clearly see the concern floating around in his eyes.

“I will be… but seriously, thank you.”

“Chan… you’ve been a great friend to me too. It’s nice to rant about Ben to someone who doesn’t want to kill him.” They both chuckle at that before Callum continues, “But why does it sound like you’re saying goodbye?”

“Oh, erm, no reason, I just felt you needed to know…”

“Okay well, you best be off otherwise my jealousy will become too strong” Chantelle releases a laugh and looks over her shoulder at Gray, before turning again and hugging her friend tightly. Callum returned the hug and felt Chantelle bury her face in his shoulder. His concern really started to bubble inside him, and he was about to ask if she was okay again, before she was pulling away and rushing back to the car.

He spent the rest of the day worried out of his mind, Ben saw this worry and explained it to him. Callum sent her several texts, asking if she’s okay and if he can do anything, to which he only got blunt responses, which was very unlike her.

He left it until the next day, hoping she’d message him back saying she was okay. The day started like any else, he woke up before Ben to go for his morning run and slipped on his workout clothes before leaving the house. He only just closed the Mitchell gate before he was overwhelmed by sirens. He looked across the square to see several patrol cars and an ambulance outside of number 1, and his heart sank to the ground.

He watched Kheerat move towards the cars and be overtaken with grief, and Callum instantly knew what happened. He stumbled back until he felt his body hit a wall, and he slid down it to the bottom. At some point, he felt someone lay a hand on his shoulder, but he gave no reaction, just stared blankly ahead of him and soon, the hand disappeared.

Suddenly, he saw Ben appear in his vision, and he took his face in his hands, “Babe? Talk to me.”

“S-she's gone…”

“What?”

“Chantelle is gone…” The tears finally spilled out of his eyes, and Ben instantly pulled him into his chest, and he let his wailing sobs loose. He just lost his best friend, and despite what everyone says, he knows it wasn’t an innocent accident.


	23. Slideshow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a much shorter fic which popped in my mind after tonight's episode

Jay had insisted they go to the community event on Christmas Eve; he said that it would be a laugh. Ben and Callum had hoped to spend the night together with Lexi making cookies and watching an endless list of Christmas movies. But somehow, they found themselves bundled up in heavy coats, Callum wearing his iconic beanie for the first time in forever and Ben drowning in a huge scarf, holding hot chocolates and standing close together to conserve warmth.

They bobbed their heads along to the Christmas music and were engaged in a quiet discussion, waiting for the so-called surprise that Honey had planned and was very excited for.

“I swear to god, my ears are gonna freeze off.”

“Well, I did tell you to-”

“Callum. Don’t.” Callum let out a chuckled before pulling off his beanie and placing it on Ben’s head.

“Can’t have your midget ears freezing off, now can we?”

“How endearing of you.”

Suddenly, the giant screen above them lit up the square, and it began to reveal a series of images. They included people from past and present, some encouraging laughter and various ‘Aw’s. Callum spent his time asking Ben who each person was, to which his boyfriend gave a brief explanation and reason why they aren’t around anymore. An image that seemed to have a particular impact on Ben was one of the infamous Peggy Mitchell, Ben had spent hours telling Callum stories of his Gran, “She seems like she was a remarkable woman.” Callum whispered to Ben, wrapping his arm around him and he leaned into the hold.

“Yeah, she was.” Callum smiled down at Ben and leaned down to give him a kiss, which was eagerly returned.

Laughter soon filled the ear, and they returned their attention to the screen, only to see a picture of them. Not just any picture, however, it was one from Halloween this year. They had attended the Prince Albert costume party as a copper and robber, with the roles reversed obviously. The picture showed a very drunk Ben being held in a bridal carry by Callum, his boyfriend grinning widely at the camera and Ben looking longingly at him.

They released their own laughter and Ben turned to Callum, “I don’t even remember this happening.”

“I do. You were bloody heavy. I had to carry you home that way.”

“Hmmm, well maybe you should show me again…”

“Maybe I will…”

The residents of the square watched, at the end of the night, as Callum lifted Ben into his arms, his boyfriend releasing a burst of roaring laughter as he looked at their audience. He watched as Callum didn’t have a care in the world and carried him home., excited for their first real Christmas together.


	24. Christmas Eve

Ben grumbled as his slumber was disrupted by the light shooting through the curtains. He placed the palms of his hands against his eyes as he began to adjust to the sensation of being awake, he turned onto his side and was graced with the most beautiful sights. His boyfriend was lying there, duvet pulled all the way up to his chin, and soft snores erupting from him. Ben snuggled back down and brought his hand up to run through Callum’s hair, the latter unconsciously leaning into his touch.

He couldn’t comprehend how far they have come; this time last year, Callum left Walford after Ben brutally broke up with him. No one could have thought that they would come back from that, but here they are. 2020 hadn’t been kind to them starting with Keanu’s return and Callum’s kidnapping. This was a catalyst for future events like Ben’s hearing and the warehouse job, Callum’s nightmares and Thompson’s blackmail. They had experienced immense amounts of hardships throughout the year, and it caused them to drift apart. To a stranger, they probably looked like friends rather than Boyfriends.

Thompson’s blackmail of Callum was revealed not long after the Shoreditch job, he had increased his threats against Callum and had become more violent. One night, the young copper came home to a beaten face and, despite his best efforts, he couldn’t keep the truth from Ben any longer. In the end, he completely broke down. He fell to his knees, sobbing and apologising profusely, and Ben had no goddamn clue what was going on. Even after an explanation, it wasn’t a completely happy ending as Ben ended up walking out on Callum out of anger, hoping to avoid doing something he really didn’t want to. He finally came to his senses after a conversation with Rainie of all people; he had meant to talk to Stuart about the situation and why he was kept in the dark, but instead, he came face to face with Rainie.

The two hadn’t exactly had the best relationship, but they learned to be civil over time. Rainie had sat Ben down with a cuppa and took the time to explain the full story and talk about how it affected Callum. She told him of the physical threats, the fear for Lexi, the sleepless nights, and the multiple times Callum came to them, crying and irrational. She told Ben to give Callum a chance; she told him that it would be rather hypocritical for Ben to stay angry, considering he had lied for months and it was the warehouse job that got Callum in this situation in the first place. The talk had left Ben with a newfound respect and admiration for Rainie, and he went back to the Mitchell residence, only to see Callum packing. His boyfriend somehow got it into his head that Ben had left him and wanted him out of his life.

The two sat down and had one of the first real and honest talks as a couple; Ben explains that he wouldn’t tell his Dad and get Callum out of this mess. They sent Thompson down, but he still lingered in their lives; Callum had new insecurity and anxiety levels, causing nightmares and a lack of social life, and Ben had a rocky relationship with his Dad. It turned into a blunt and emotionless relationship, more acquaintances than family now.

And that’s why this moment in time of Ben just watching Callum, was precious to him. It wasn’t often that he saw Callum this relaxed and he savoured the moment. He was pulled from his thought by Callum shifting, his eyes fluttering open.

“You watchin’ me sleep again?”

“Nope.”

“Yeah, you were.” Callum propped his head onto his hand and smiled down at Ben.

“You have no proof.”

“Sure.”

They spent most of the morning just relaxing in bed, Callum reading a book and Ben watching a Netflix show. Callum had taken up reading as a source of comfort and relaxation; it was a way for him to escape his world's struggles and dive into one of fantasy and magic. He could spend hours on end reading and never got bored of the euphoric feeling it evoked inside him.

He was startled out of his escape by Bens voice, “So, I have an idea of what to do today before the onslaught of tomorrow.”

“It cannot be that bad…”

“You’ve never had a Mitchell Christmas before my friend.”

Callum chuckled before responding, “What are we doing then?”

“It’s a surprise, but just wrap up warm and bring gloves.” Ben suddenly shot up from the bed and told him to get dressed, leaving Callum watching him leave in confusion.

Soon enough they were situated in a car on their way to the secret location, Ben giving no hints to what it could be. The journey was filled with terrible sing-alongs to Christmas songs and a McDonald’s drive-thru, at Callum’s insistence.

The car came to a stop outside of a shopping centre, Callum still having no clue what’s going on. He was dragged through the building, going passed endless shops before entering a large room filled with arcade games and a huge ice rink in the middle.

“I booked us ice skating,” Ben said as he grinned up at Calum, watching the smile slowly appear on his face.

“Ben… this is great, but I’ve never done it before. I don’t know how to do it.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve done it loads of times, I’ll help you.”

They soon had their boots on, Callum struggling and needing his boyfriend's help and he watched as Ben gracefully glided onto the ice, moving like an expert. Callum looked at the slippery surface in disdain as he dreaded what could happen. Ben saw this hesitation and moved towards him,

“Take my hands.” He held them out, and Callum eagerly accepted. He was pulled out onto the rink, and the only way to describe what he looked like was that he was reminiscent of Bambi on ice. His legs were spread apart, yet unmoving, he was only gliding because Ben was pulling him along. He chuckled at Callum’s concerned face before saying, “Don’t worry Babe, I got you.”

They did several laps of the rink, Callum becoming more and more confident before Ben decided to leap, and he let go of Callum’s hands.

“Ben! What the hell are you doing?!”

“Trust me; you’ll be fine. I’ll stay close.” Callum looked at him with an unimpressed face before he attempted to move on his own. His balance became unstable, and he grabbed onto the railing for help. Ben moved to help him, failing to contain his laughter, but he was surprised to see Callum pushing himself off of the assistance and moving towards him, however ungracefully. As the hour went on, Ben had taught Callum how to move properly and he had become acquainted with it, not moving at the same pace as Ben’s but steadily.

Their little bubble was popped suddenly when some asshole came zooming past Callum, causing him to lose his balance and fall onto his back.

“Ah, fuck…” Ben came up to him and knelt, “Cal! You alright?”

“Think my spine snapped in half.”

“Well, that’s not good, I’ll kill him to avenge you.” Callum chuckled before he accepted Ben’s hand and was helped up.

“Think that’s enough for today.” Ben went to help Calum move off the rink before he was roughly pulled back and his lips crashed against Callum’s.

“Thank you for today. I loved it.”

Ben smiled before responding, “Well, last Christmas didn’t go to plan, so I wanted this one to be perfect.”

“To me, anything with you is perfect.”

“Jesus, Cal, you’re gonna make me throw up.” They then moved off the rink, hands entwined and went home, anticipating the chaotic events of the next day.


	25. Christmas Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it!  
> I just wanted to thank you so much for all the support I've been given on this, I really appreciate it!  
> I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and an even better new year!

“Right okay, presents time!” Ben’s voice roared through the Beale household, and soon all its occupants gathered in the living room, Callum moving to sit close to him on the sofa. They watched on as everyone dug into their gifts, shouts of excitement and elation filling the air. Lexi was vibrating with happiness at her new bike and had to be told several times not to ride it around the house. Kathy and Rainie were already slightly drunk on prosecco and were stumbling around, picking up the discarded wrapping paper. Jay had been gifted with football tickets from Ben and Callum and a much needed holiday for him and Lola to Venice. Bobby was given some basic things that he hadn’t been given as a teenager; he got a Nintendo Switch with Mario Kart pre-installed, several cookbooks from Callum with a promise of helping him to learn, and some much-needed clothes from Ben.

When it came to Ben and Callum exchanging gifts, everyone watched on in anticipation at what could be given. Ben went first, whacking out a massive bag filled to the brim with presents, Callum’s jaw dropped upon seeing it. He got a new bomber jacket, some Lego (fight him, he finds it relaxing, okay?), a new laptop seeing as Stuart accidentally sat on his old one, a new beanie, and piles of clothes.

“Ben, you didn’t need to spend this much, I don’t deserve all this.”

“Hey, shut up, that’s my boyfriend you’re talking about there.”

Callum smiled before getting out his presents for Ben, a clear contrast to Ben’s arrangement because he was wrapped meticulously and tied together with a ribbon. Ben eagerly ripped the paper off the gifts and received another coat, a set of bathroom luxuries, and a Hannah Montana boxset. He was mid-way thanking Callum before he was told to get the letter addressed to him off the tree. With his back now to Callum, he opened the letter and read what it said.

_Dear Ben,_

_I don’t think I can ever put into words how much I love you and how much you have helped me since I met you. You taught me how to love and how to be loved, how to feel confident, and how to open up. You are so kind, so handsome, so wonderfully annoying._

_Every day is an adventure with you, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you._

_Have the most amazing Christmas_

_Love from Callum xxx_

_P.S. Turn around_

Ben heard a gasp erupt from his mum before he spun around and stopped dead in his tracks at what he saw. Callum was in front of him, down on one knee, a red velvet box opens in his hand, revealing a silver band. His eyes welled up at what was happening, and he tried to form words but was too overwhelmed.

“Ben Mitchell, will you marry me?”

Ben nodded frantically as the tears spilled out and shot forward, “Yes! Yes, of course, I will!” His lips crashed against Callum’s, and cheers from his family filled the air. They pulled away from each other, both crying immensely, and Callum put the ring on Ben’s finger.

“Ben Mitchell Highway, I love the sound of that.”

“Who said your name is going first.” Ben chuckled, and soon they were overwhelmed with hug and praises; Stuart and Rainie pulled Ben into quick hugs, welcoming them into the Highway Clan and Callum received similar treatment from Ben’s family. The rest of the day was filled with festivities and laughter, the newly engaged couple not leaving each other’s side.

“Can’t believe you did it before I did…”

Callum huffed out a laugh before responding, “Yeah, well, you deserved it, I love you so much, Ben Mitchell Highway or Highway Mitchell, who knows.”

“I love you too, Callum Highway.”


End file.
